Outside of Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, a crowd of proud bikers all decked out in leather gear with large, unmistakably striking “R’s” stitched on the backs of their vests stretched as far as the human eye could see. Hundreds of motorcyclists rode together Saturday (April 24) from Yonkers to Brooklyn to honor the late DMX and his home team, the Ruff Ryders, ahead of X’s official memorial service.

This weekend (April 24-25), hip-hop icon DMX will be laid to rest, and it all began with an appropriately massive “Celebration of Life” memorial service at the Barclays Center to honor the late legend’s legacy.

The Yonkers-bred MC, born Earl Simmons, passed away on April 9 after experiencing a heart attack triggered by a drug overdose. He was 50.

DMX had a larger-than-life influence on his community. It came as no surprise that the entire perimeter of Barclays was blocked off and packed several hours prior to the event, only to let an enormous monster truck — carrying a bright red casket that was reportedly DMX’s — arrive on the scene.

Doors for the memorial opened at 2:00 p.m. ET, with only family, friends and media in attendance, though a live stream was available on DMX’s YouTube channel for supporters around the world to tune in. His funeral service will be held Sunday at 2:30 P.M. ET and will be broadcast live on BET and the network’s YouTube channel.

At 6:20 P.M., a bone-chilling silence finally swept the stadium, so quiet the sound of a single can of soda cracking open would echo across the enormous venue. More than 10 minutes later, the collective voice of a powerful choir seeped through the stadium speakers, and the stage opened up to reveal a red light-tinted center with DMX’s casket front and center, where it would remain for the rest of the night.

The stage then closed back up to allow a video to play: the infamous clip of DMX on a Sling Shot ride with his daughter. “Daddy’s here, daddy’s here,” DMX says reassuringly in the video, which created a somber tone as attendees reminisced about his well-known reputation as a father figure.

The choir returned, now more clear that it was Kanye West’s Sunday Service choir, entirely decked out in matching red hoodies. As they chanted their “keep moving” chorus, the memorial officially kicked into full swing with an undeniably uplifting spirit.

During their closing song, X’s family joined them on stage. His son Manny was given the mic and immediately began to sob. “If it wasn’t for my dad I wouldn’t be great at a lot of things. He was the best dad ever, and me and my brother showed our dedication and wrote a song about him.” He then recited the lyrics he wrote dedicated to his father, which included an account of the moment he found out his father passed.

Next to take the stage was Nas, who recalled a memorable moment between the two. “We did a great movie together, and he was just rising as a star but he knew his journey was about to start,” said the fellow rap veteran. “He looked at me, tears in his eyes because he knew about the journey he was about to embark on: become a hip-hop icon.” Then, a video of DMX saying a prayer started to play as it led into a live performance of Kanye West’s “Ultralight Beam.”

Afterwards, the Ruff Ryders were in the spotlight. Dee thanked Eve, The Lox and the rest of the Ryders family and led the audience into a DMX chant. A few of X’s fellow Ryders took turns to say a few words, each member delving into what the legendary DMX meant to them and the bond they shared:

Drag-On: “I don’t exist without this man. The air I breathe, he put it in my lungs.”

Jadakiss: “The world knew a dog but we know a different dog. It hurts anytime you lose a soldier, but this one was different because he was the main piece on the board. There’s no way I could ever repay him.”

Styles P: “If you’re from New York, you know what he means to us is indescribable. If it wasn’t for X, we wouldn’t be on. What made it special, that man did nothing but celebrate us. He accomplished something no one ever accomplished. And was in pain the whole way.”

Swizz Beatz: “Our gain is real because we have a real serious soldier to look down on us. We gotta learn how to celebrate each other while we’re here.”

As memorial-goers slowly left the stadium, the streets surrounded Barclays were still as jam-packed and lively as when the doors first opened earlier. Bikers were still circling the block, DMX’s timeless anthems were still blasting and people were still chanting his high-energy, gritty lyrics.

The collective sound of countless motorcycle engines still echoing off the Brooklyn buildings nearly six hours later represents the grip DMX has on his community, and will forever be immortalized by this impact. The legend can sleep in peace, as his legacy will be remembered and honored.

The life of DMX was celebrated at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday (April 24).

The memorial, originally scheduled to begin live streaming on DMX’s YouTube channel at 4 p.m. ET, saw delays and actually began some time after 6:30 p.m. The rap star died on April 9 at the age of 50 after suffering a heart attack triggered by a drug overdose. He had spent several days on life support at a New York hospital.

Sunday’s “Celebration of Life” was restricted to just close friends and family due to the pandemic. Organizers planned to follow New York COVID-19 testing guidelines and protocols, which limited the indoor arena to no more than 10% capacity, according to the Associated Press.

Ahead of the memorial at the Barclays Center, more than 1,000 people, including members of the Ruff Ryders motorcycle club, had formed a procession from Yonkers to Brooklyn, the New York Times reports. A monster truck that held a dark red coffin and that was inscribed with “Long Live DMX” led the procession.

As the event began, the Sunday Service choir provided spirited musical tributes, and continued to do so throughout the evening.

DMX’s family and friends, including several of his children, took the stage to give speeches — and even perform songs — in honor of the Earl Simmons they knew and loved.

One of his young daughters delivered her own re-worked take on “Slippin’.” She turned it into a moving testimonial to her dad, who’s helped her in “growing, learning to hold my head up.”

“Sometimes when I feel sad and weak, I can still hear him speak/ By all means, I’mma do what’s right/ Even in the dark, I’mma be the light/ I can do it even when I’m feeling sad/ You all call him DMX, I call him Dad,” she rapped.

Nas later took the stage to pay his respects — “that was my brother” — and recalled filming on set together. Before DMX released his first album, he said, “He knew his journey was starting … He looked at me, tears in his eyes because he knew about the journey he was about to embark on: become a hip-hop icon.”

Eve, surrounded by the Ruff Ryders family, was one of DMX’s many friends to speak at the Barclays Center with emotion, saying, “To have known DMX the way that I knew him, as a man, a father, a friend… this is so hard, y’all. What I pray, what I hope, I pray to God, I pray to our angels, I pray to our ancestors that his journey was smooth. I know that he will rest in power, rest in love, but most of all he will rest in peace.”

“He started the show late today. He already up there acting, though, you know what I’m saying?” Swizz Beatz noted when he took the mic. He reflected, “I just wish all these people showed up for him when he was here … He needed everybody when he was here. We gotta learn how to celebrate each other while we here.”

DMX’s “Homegoing Celebration” funeral service is scheduled for Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast on BET and YouTube.

From career milestones and new music releases to major announcements and more, Billboard editors highlight the latest news buzz in Latin music every week. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.

A Montaner Reality Show

Multimedia company NTERTAIN, at the helm of Neon16’s Lex Borrero, Tommy Mottola and Range Media Partners, announced earlier this week the start of the development and production for its first original series, Los Montaner. The unscripted docu-series, executive produced by Borrero, will follow the daily life of the Montaner family: Ricardo Montaner, Marlene Rodriguez, Mau y Ricky, Evaluna Montaner, Camilo Echeverry, Sara Escobar and Stefi Roitman. Range Media Partners will co-finance the project, handling global sales of the series.

“This last year that passed, among other things, served as a way to spend more time together, more than ever, and to partake in profound dialogue about all that is going on, with our careers, personal and everything really,” expressed the family patriarch in a statement. “Within these conversations, we discussed our thoughts on us wanting to possibly do a show together and in this form convey to the world what family unity means to us… to communicate that together we can be happy amidst the circumstances, no matter what comes at us.”

C. Tangana’s NPR Tiny Desk Show

C. Tangana evoked feelings of camaraderie and warmth in his NPR “Tiny Desk (Home)” concert that dropped this week. Filmed at Casa Carvajal in Madrid, the Spanish star performed his hits from El Madrileño, in addition to “Me Maten,” a previously unreleased track featuring flamenco fusion artist Antonio Carmona. In a living room setting, portraying an intimate hangout with family and friends, C. Tangana was joined by his regular collaborators Alizzz and Victor Martinez, his mother Patri, aunt Pilar and close buddies, to name a few. Artists Kiko Veneno, La Húngara and Niño de Elche also joined the performance.

Shakira Celebrates Earth Day

On Earth Day (April 22), Shakira invited all of her fans across social media to “work together to repair our planet.” “As a member of the Earth Shot Prize Council, I’m calling on the world to give the earth a shot,” she expressed. “This Earth Day, let’s be inspired by the innovation of the past year and work together to repair our planet,” the Colombian artist added. Shak kept active on Twitter throughout the day, retweeting educational posts from Leonardo DiCaprio, Michelle Obama and UNICEF.

Carlos Vives & Ricky Martin on Fallon

This week, Carlos Vives and Ricky Martin performed their optimistic single “Cancion Bonita” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “I’ll see you dancing tonight,” Vives expressed on social media. “Ricky Martin and ‘Canción Bonita’ will arrive at New York, you can’t miss it.” “It’s called ‘Pretty Song’ and the title speaks for itself,” Martin previously told Billboard. “I mean, with everything that we’re dealing with at the moment, I think this is what we needed to release. He’s someone that I love and he’s my friend for many, many years,” he added of Vives.

Google Doodle Pays Tribute To Ñ

Friday’s (April 23) Google Doodle, at the helm of Barcelona-based artist Min, celebrated the letter “Ñ,” the only letter of the Spanish alphabet that originated in Spain. The letter officially formed part of the Royal Spanish Academy dictionary in 1803, and in 2010, the United Nations declared April 23 the official day to celebrate the Spanish language. “Ñ is not just a letter, but also a representation of Hispanic heritage and identity,” read a statement. Currently, the letter Ñ appears in more than 17,700 words in Spanish, including piñata, jalapeño, piña, niño and many more.

Spotify shares jumped 8% on Friday (April 23) following an analyst’s buy rating at a $360 price target — a 26.7% premium over the $284.11 closing price.

Ahead of Spotify releases first-quarter earnings on Wednesday, Jeffries analyst Andrew Uerkwitz predicted the streaming giant would become “the primary audio platform for creators” and has “substantial” long-term opportunity in his initial report on the company.

This vote of confidence helps buttress Spotify’s share price, which has lost 26.7% since hitting $387.44 on Feb. 22, valuing the company at $73 billion. That fall was perhaps a sign that investors were too enthusiastic about exclusive podcast deals and that spoken word will help improve Spotify’s margins.

Analysts tend to agree that Spotify is the leader in the streaming market, a sentiment CEO Daniel Ek communicated during Spotify’s Feb. 3rd earnings call, calling the shift from linear (one-way) to on-demand (interactive) music a “massive multi-billion user opportunity” accelerated by COVID-19 and that was reachable by “only a handful of companies” in audio.

Spotify’s first-quarter numbers probably won’t disappoint, although they might not impress, either. Universal Music Group’s first-quarter streaming revenues — of which Spotify is the largest contributor — were 1.9% lower than the previous quarter, its parent company Vivendi revealed in its earnings release Thursday. That’s no cause for concern given Universal’s streaming business shrank by the same amount a year earlier.

Spotify certainly isn’t predicting big numbers: Its first-quarter guidance is 1.99 billion euros to 2.19 billion euros of revenue — a modest range compared to €2.17 billion of revenue it posted in the fourth quarter of 2020.

The company also expects to have 155 million to 158 million subscribers after finishing 2020 with 155 million, and 354 million to 364 million monthly average listeners compared to 345 million to close out 2020.

After 16 episodes and even more memorable moments, season 13 of RuPaul’s Drag Race came to a close Friday night (April 23), and one of the top four queens — Gottmik, Kandy Muse, Rosé and Symone — got to claim the crown and the $100,000 cash prize. Spoilers ahead!

After a “lip sync for the crown” battle royale, Symone was crowned the winner of season 13, and America’s next drag superstar. Symone became a front-runner early on in the competition by taking home two challenge wins at the start of the season. Despite lip-syncing three times, Symone proved to be a fierce competitor, taking home a whopping four wins in one season.

The crowning came after a high-octane “lip sync smackdown,” as RuPaul put it, where the top four fought it out to the tune of three Britney Spears tracks. In the first round, Kandy Muse managed to knock out Rosé with her energetic lip sync to “Work Bitch,” while Symone overcame Gottmik in a lip sync to “Gimme More.” In the final showdown, Symone and Kandy duked it out to “Till the World Ends,” with Symone ultimately emerging victorious.

Wearing a sparkling yellow fringe dress with streamers emerging from the top of her massive updo, Symone tearfully accepted the crown and scepter from season 12 winner Jaida Essence Hall. Calling back to her entrance line on the season, Symone kept her remarks sweet and simple: “I told y’all not to let the smooth taste fool you!”