In early April, an unreleased song by rapper DMX , featuring Ian Paice , Steve Howe of Yes and Asia, and bassist Bootsy Collins . "X Moves" arrived on digital platforms a day before the rapper's death; he had been hospitalized for several days and passed away due to cardiac arrest.
In a recent video, Ian Paice explained how he ended up collaborating, revealing that he participated in the song at a friend's request and denying rumors that he accepted the request because he needed money. “I didn't receive any fee for this track. I did it for a friend. The only money that was passed on was for the studio, due to equipment that needs to be rented and the production process. I can't do everything and there's a cost involved, but I didn't accept a fee [for the participation],” the drummer assured.
Paice also commented on his relationship with the song's musical genre. “The truth is, I don’t have a great love for rap and hip hop, but I’m also not the target audience for that genre, so why should I understand it? There’s a myriad of music I don’t connect with, and that’s okay. We all like different things.”
Ian went on to say that when he's working in a musical genre he's not very familiar with, he tries to just enjoy the moment instead of acting like he knows how to do it as well as people who work in the field. "A friend asked me to do this track [with DMX] and, because of him, I did it. I never thought I'd have a chance to play on something like this, but the opportunity arose, so I did the best I could," he said.
READ ALSO: Rock world mourns DMX's death and pays tribute to the rapper; see here
