DMX wrestled with drug addiction for most of his adult life—and it ultimately killed him. The Ruff Ryders legend died at White Plains Hospital in April 2021 following a cocaine-induced heart attack. He was just 50 years old. DMX left behind a fiancée and several children, including 10-year-old Sonovah Hillman Jr.
The rapper’s death has clearly had a profound impact on the young girl, so she’s decided to raise awareness about the dangers of drug addiction. In a video posted to her GoFundMe campaign website, Hillman revealed she’s making a docu-series centered on fentanyl and other illicit drugs.
“I lost my aunt and uncle to a fentanyl overdose and my dad to a drug addiction,” Hillman said. “Fentanyl is affecting every gender, race, class and age group. I wanted to talk to other kids whose parents had died from an overdose or are still currently using. I came up with the idea to do a four-part docuseries on fentanyl and drug addiction. I wanted to talk to people about their experience, trauma, feelings and come up with a solution to healing.”
Hillman has an astronomical goal of $250,000 and so far, she’s only raised about $1,000. As part of the description, Hillman explained her intentions behind the campaign.
“I want to show the world the point of view from a child’s perspective,” she wrote. “I know that others are going through some of the same things. I want to reach out and ask for assistance with some of the production costs to get started. These funds will be used for pre and post-production. All donations are greatly appreciated and will help me get closer to my goal of educating, spreading awareness and saving lives.”
Hillman said she got the idea after the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program hosted a 10-week curriculum at her school. At one point, she saw a clip from Growing Up Hip-Hop in which Master P and Romeo confront the No Limit CEO’s daughter, Tytyana Miller, about her drug abuse. Miller eventually died from the disease. Hillman believes she “can make a difference” with her series by having tough conversations “even adults aren’t ready to have.” To donate to the cause, head here.
