Steve Rifkind Known as Out Uncle Ray Copeland Over DMX Funeral Claims, However Are “The Receipts” Subsequent?
There may be an previous city parable about writing checks…and cashing these checks…
Steve Rifkind and Uncle Ray Copeland are two males who had been near the late, nice DMX. They’re now in a quiet however rising public standoff. The strain took off after Rifkind took to Instagram, calling Uncle Ray “a liar” following Copeland’s current AllHipHop interview the place he opened up about his nephew’s dying, his personal administration of DMX, and the expensive preparations surrounding the rapper’s funeral. He appeared real and legit, however Steve stepped up with robust phrases on IG.
Rifkind’s submit was blunt. He questioned why Uncle Ray was “coming ahead” years later to speak about DMX’s remaining preparations. It’s a good query, nevertheless it’s additionally commonplace for members of the family and longtime associates to lastly converse their fact. In Uncle Ray’s case, although, issues hit in a different way. He wasn’t simply one other individual within the circle—he was blood. He was household, and he was additionally DMX’s supervisor throughout among the most pivotal years of his life and profession.
So why now? Why is Uncle Ray speaking in 2025 after years of silence? He claims he’s lastly prepared to talk on what actually occurred behind the scenes after DMX’s passing. In response to him, he needed to arrange a fundraising effort to cowl the prices of DMX’s funeral—no small process contemplating the entire got here to roughly $150,000.
This wasn’t your common sendoff. DMX’s farewell was huge, a larger-than-life memorial that matched his legendary presence in Hip-Hop. Kanye West reportedly coated the price for the Barclays Heart memorial—one thing even Uncle Ray acknowledged as an unbelievable gesture. “Despite the fact that Kanye will get on my final nerve,” he mentioned, “I’ve to say that could be a nice deed for him.”
However the pressure rose when Uncle Ray claimed that Swizz Beatz, Ruff Ryders, and Def Jam didn’t initially assist cowl bills. Ultimately, he mentioned, Def Jam contributed $35,000, and the remaining got here from personal donors.
Rifkind wasn’t having it. The longtime music government (shout out to Loud Information) —who managed DMX in his remaining chapter—jumped on-line and flat-out referred to as Uncle Ray a liar. He additionally particularly mentioned that Swizz “kicked in 80% of the funeral bills” and continues to help DMX’s household. That assertion instantly created confusion, as a result of Uncle Ray by no means denied Swizz’s ongoing help for the household. His feedback had been in regards to the logistics and timing of who stepped up financially throughout the funeral planning.
Now, sources inform AllHipHop that this dispute may not finish quietly. “If he’s calling Uncle Ray a liar, it’s going to end in one other stage of fact telling,” one insider mentioned. And by “fact telling,” they imply receipts. The phrase is, Rifkind could not have any, whereas Uncle Ray reportedly has lots.
Whether or not this blows over or escalates stays to be seen. However one factor is for certain: Uncle Ray’s interview wasn’t some random seize for consideration. It was emotional, uncooked, and deeply private. He overtly cried. I felt that. He misplaced a nephew, a celebrity, and a good friend multi functional blow. And was left to assist orchestrate the farewell for considered one of Hip-Hop’s most iconic, tortured souls.
It’s straightforward to get misplaced within the back-and-forth, however on the middle of all of it is DMX—a person whose life, legacy, and affect deserve peace. The individuals round him clearly nonetheless care, even when the reality is snarled in grief and pleasure…
