Tashera loved Earl Simmons from the moment she first saw him when they were kids. They reconnected as adults, but Earl’s transformation into DMX and, worse, his alter ego ‘X,’ pulled her back into the cycle of emotional abuse and neglect she’d endured while growing up.

Sources:

Tashera’s speech at DMX’s memorial

People Magazine Podcast interview

You Think You Know But You Have No Idea by Tashera Simmons