It was a ceremony fit for a king on Saturday as friends and family came together for the memorial service of legendary rapper DMX. The grand occasion started outside with the Ruff Ryders leading the motorcade through New York City, carrying the artist's casket on an enormous pick-up truck as they headed to the service. The riders started their journey in Yonkers, New York and traveled along the highway until they arrived at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, USA TODAY reported. 

When the program commenced in Brooklyn, there were many more tear-jerking moments that followed. Thousands of fans watched the live stream and said their goodbyes from a distance while loved ones at the Barclays Center dedicated an elaborate tribute for the musician they know as Earl Simmons.

Here were some of the most touching moments from the service.

1. Ceremony begins with two heartwarming memories

The memorial service, which finally began after a two-hour delay, started with two clips which are familiar to most fans. The first video, projected on a screen at the Barclays Center, showed DMX and his daughter sharing a priceless moment as they rode a rollercoaster together. Many fans were brought to tears as they watched X trying to comfort his baby on the ride, telling her “it’s okay, daddy’s here.”

The tears continued to flow as the opening minutes featured a video of DMX performing a spoken-word poem.

"I fear that what I’m saying won’t be heard until I’m gone/ But it’s all good because I didn’t really expect to live long,” X said in the poem. “So if it takes for me to suffer for my brother to see the light/ Give me pain til I die/ But please lord treat him right.”

2. Kanye's Sunday Service Choir performs

Kanye West's Sunday Service Choir performed two songs at the ceremony, “Keep on Movin’” and “Excellent.” The group came out in red sweatsuits and formed a circle around a live band while X's vibrant, red casket sat on the stage behind them.

It was difficult for fans to immediately recognize Kanye among the choir. According to Variety, however, representatives later confirmed that the rapper was in attendance.

X had dedicated a prayer at one of West’s Sunday Services in 2019. 

3. Nas dedicates emotional speech

Grammy-winning rapper Nas took the stage to reflect on his relationship with the late artist, particularly reminiscing about the pair's performance in the 1999 film, Belly. Nas said X was still a rising star in the music industry when the movie was made. 

“That was my brother. We did a great movie together,” the grieving musician said. “His first album didn’t even come out yet, but he knew his journey was starting. We stood outside the Tunnel nightclub about to shoot a scene, and he looked at me with tears in his eyes because he knew about the journey he was about to go on becoming a hip-hop icon.”

4. Ruff Ryders show up in solidarity

Ruff Ryders founding member Joaquin “Waah” Dean spoke up in honor of his friend as the group showed up in large numbers to pay tribute for their friend. 

“We never walked away from Earl and we never will,” Waah said. “Ride or die, this is the real deal.”

Swizz Beatz, the "Ruff Ryders' Anthem" producer, said "I just wish all these people showed up for him when he was here."

"He needed everybody when he was here, we got to learn to celebrate each other while we're here," the producer said. 

Rapper Eve stood on the stage with the Ruff Ryders and remembered the iconic musician as a “man, a father, a friend.”

"Thank you for the energy that everyone has brought here today, the celebration of how great we all know DMX was, what he has left behind," she said. "This is so hard, y'all. He will rest in power, rest in love, but most of all he will rest in peace."

5. X's daughter steals the show

All of the icon's 15 children took the stage, but it was his baby girl, Sonovah Junior, who especially tugged at the hearts of many fans. Sonovah showed off her talent and her love for her father when she dedicated a song to the late artist.

“I'm growing, I'm learning, to hold my head up/My daddy’s still holding my hand, so I gotta stand up," the young artist said in her song. 

She also rapped about the lessons she learned from her father.

"He taught me to be strong, but it’s OK to be afraid/‘Cause sometimes it’ll show you how to be brave,” Sonovah said. “I never give up, I give it all/‘Cause I know I’m big, even though I look small/Lookin’ at my daddy’s picture on the wall… My brothers and sisters, we all stand together/Throw up the X, daddy forever.”

According to Complex, Sonovah already demonstrates her talents on Instagram by posting snippets of her songs, including “I Hate Zoom,” featuring Ya Girl Toodles.

The rising star is even more beloved now after dedicating a heartwarming performance to the legend who tragically passed away on April 9 after suffering a heart attack. The rapper died at just 50 years old, as Blavity previously reported.  

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