The uncle and former manager of late rapper DMX says he personally shouldered most funeral costs after efforts to enlist help failed. Ray Copeland, known in music circles as “Uncle Ray,” claims neither Swizz Beatz nor Ruff Ryders contributed meaningfully to the expenses.
In an exclusive statement to media outlets, Copeland said he called multiple industry figures but met resistance. “When it was time to bury X, I was on the phone with everybody — Ruff Ryders, Swizz Beatz, Steve Rifkind, Def Jam,” he said. “Everybody said, ‘I ain’t got it.’ So I hung up the phone and said, ‘Forget it. I’ll put this together myself.’”
He said the total cost reached about $150,000, and that business associate Germaine Miller helped cover it. “If it were not for Germaine Miller, I would have never buried my nephew financially. She put all the money up for the funeral — all $150,000,” Copeland said.
Copeland acknowledged later support from Def Jam, but said it was limited. “Def Jam [later] gave me $35,000, that’s it,” he said. “They later told the media they paid for the funeral. That’s not true.” He also credited Kanye West with covering costs specifically tied to the memorial at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
Pushback and Ongoing Debate
In response, representatives for Swizz Beatz have dismissed Copeland’s cries. One source called parts of his claim “cap,” or false, though no extended statement was published at time of writing. Ruff Ryders did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Copeland asserted that much of the public narrative around the funeral was shaped by misrepresentations. He refuted viral images purporting that DMX’s body was displayed on a monster truck, calling them unsafe and inaccurate. “His body was in the hearse behind me going to the Barclays Center,” he said.
Since DMX died in April 2021 at age 50, the rapper’s funeral drew major attention. But Copeland’s latest remarks raise fresh questions about behind-the-scenes accountability in hip-hop’s power structures and financial obligations.
This disclosure also underscores longstanding tensions between fame and support. Copeland said even as DMX “made us all millionaires,” few acted when burial time came. “Everybody put out statements, hashtags, and tributes,” he said. “But when it came time to actually do something … silence.”