A brilliant portrait of U.S. rapper DMX painted on the wall of a New Toronto building is getting a lot of attention these days.

The beautiful mural of DMX, born Earn Simmons, is professionally done and residents of the surrounding areas are taking notice.

Area businessman Rattan Gandhi says a steady stream of people, including many motorcycle riders, have been showing up to take selfies in front of the mural.

“There has been a steady stream of people showing up,” says Gandhi, whose Quick Refund Tax is next door. “I didn’t know who this guy was until they started showing up.”

The mural has the popular DMX looking out over a laneway just north of Sixth Street.

“It is beautiful,” says another man of the artwork. “A lot of people love this guy.”

The rapper died April 9 at White Plains Hospital in New York, a week after a heart attack. He was 50.

The three-time Grammy Award got his start in music back in the 1980s, performing with Ready Ron while serving time behind bars until he finally dedicated himself to music full-time in the 1990s.

At 14, Simmons began living on the streets of Yonkers to escape his mother’s abuse, sleeping in Salvation Army clothing bins and befriending stray dogs.

He eventually got signed to Columbia Records’ Ruffhouse imprint, and appeared on records with Jay-Z, LL Cool J, Mase and even the rock band Sum 41.

It wasn’t until ’98 that he truly broke out, when he released his Ruff Ryders debut studio album “It’s Dark and Hell is Hot” to critical and mainstream acclaim.

The father of 15 children followed up that success quickly with a second album later the same year called “Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood” that ended up hitting Number 1. At the time, he was the second rapper to release back-to-back albums in the same year, the first being Tupac.

His sound is described as abrasive, rough around the edges, but also catchy and great for parties. His third album hit that last point home with his single “Party Up (Up in Here),” which was another one of X’s notorious songs that helped him get major play on radio, in clubs and in movies.

He went on to star in a number of movies including Exit Wounds, Cradle 2 the Grave, Never Die Alone and Last Hour.

Over the years, he was jailed 30 times and faced charges for weapons, drugs, DUI and tax evasion. He served time for some of those cases, but always continued his music career.

As he struggled with the law, X continued to crank out hits including the memorable “X Gon’ Give It to Ya,” “Where the Hood At?” and “Lord Give Me a Sign” as well as “We in Here.”

He really seemed to turn his life around in 2019 after ending a 12-month sentence for tax evasion. DMX had long battled substance abuse and it was at this point that he did his last rehab stint.

RIP DMX.