Here's How DMX Ended Up In Sum 41's "Makes No Difference" Music Video from 2000
“I don’t want to hurt his tough cred. But he was nice to us!”
As the world continues to mourn the loss of DMX, GQ has just released an interesting story behind DMX’s cameo in Sum 41‘s “Makes No Difference” music video.
This unlikely pairing happened at crucial points in both artists’ careers, with DMX winning the 2000 American Music Awards for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist and Sum 41 signing to Island Records the year prior. Even if you were a fan of both acts, you probably missed DMX’s cameo in Sum 14’s breakout music video, after all, what would the Ruff Ryders frontman be doing with the punk rock quartet from Ajax, Ontario?
As Deryck Whibley of Sum 41 reveals, “DMX was shooting a movie in Toronto [the 2001 action thriller Exit Wounds] while we were shooting that video. The day before the video someone from the record company said ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if DMX was in the video?’ And we were all like let’s do it and DMX said yes right away.” Although X most likely didn’t know who Sum 41 was at the time, the timing and location of the video, coupled with the fact that they were goth signed to Def Jam, allowed for this rare encounter to take place.
Whibley also went on to confirm that DMX (Earl Simmons) was a stand-up guy with, “We were so new to the business [then]. We really didn’t expect him to show up, to be honest, and then after he said yes, people were warning us [that he would flake]. But then he showed up and he was the total opposite of what everyone was telling us. We were really getting along. He was a really nice, funny, enjoyable guy. I don’t want to hurt his tough cred. But he was nice to us!”
So there you have it. If you skip the 2:37 in the “Makes No Difference” music video, you’ll catch DMX riding an ATV through the house party. Just another amazing story about the late DMX.
In other news, DMX’s official memorial services have been announced.