Dissecting the life of an artist is never an easy job, especially when it comes to unconventional issues that normally don’t make it to mainstream media. But this is what the new HBO documentary DMX: Don't Try to Understand will do. The late rapper was a best-selling recording artist who changed the music industry, and he was also very vocal about all issues he went through in life. He made headlines after being convicted for tax evasion, and the film is set to cover the period after DMX was released from jail and his plans for a comeback tour prior to his death in April.
True to DMX’s iconic personality, the documentary is set to reveal the ugly truth behind the rapper’s career, from drug addiction to criminal past and the way he dealt with money. DMX: Don’t Try to Understand will also show how the rapper inspired a legion of fans across the world and other artists as well.
DMX: Don’t Try to Understand is directed by Christopher Frierson, who is making his directorial debut. Prior to this movie, Frierson was a camera operator and worked on other documentaries such as The King, which chronicled the career of Elvis Presley, and Get Me Roger Stone, which covered the life of the man who helped shape Donald Trump’s political career.
The DMX documentary is part of the Music Box, a slate of six HBO films that center around artists and events that changed the music industry forever. Aside from DMX: Don’t Try to Understand, the Music Box has also brought to screens Woodstock 99: Three Days of Peace, Love, and Rage, and Jagged, about Alanis Morissette’s iconic studio album. The next three films in line for future releases are Listening to Kenny G, Mr. Saturday Night, and Juice WRLD: Into the Abyss. The movies are released weekly.
HBO premieres DMX: Don’t Try to Understand on November 25. You can watch the trailer below:
Check out the official synopsis here:
HBO’s DMX: DON’T TRY TO UNDERSTAND, part of the Music Box series, directed by Christopher Frierson and executive produced by The Ringer’s Bill Simmons (HBO’s “Andre The Giant,” “Showbiz Kids”), focuses on a year in the life of rapper Earl “DMX” Simmons as he is released from prison in early 2019 and attempts to rebuild his career in the music industry and reconnect with family and fans. Unfolding in cinéma vérité style and with unfettered access, the film bears witness to a man searching for reinvention and redemption, striving to stay true to himself while reestablishing his roles as a father, an artist, and an icon.