DMX (rapper)

DMX
DMX during a concert, 2007.
Background information
Birth name	Earl Simmons
Also known as	The Dog, Dark Man X, X, Dirty Earl Simmons, D, DX
Born	December 18 1970 (1970-12-18) (age 37) Baltimore, Maryland [1]
Origin	Yonkers, New York, United States
Genre(s)	Hardcore rap
Occupation(s)	Musician, actor
Years active	1992–present
Label(s)	Ruff Ryders Entertainment Bodog Music Bloodline Records
Associated acts	Ruff Ryders, Swizz Beatz, Sheek Louch, Styles P, Jadakiss, Drag-On, Eve, Busta Rhymes, Mary J. Blige
Website	Official website

Earl Simmons (born on December 18, 1970 in Baltimore, Maryland), better known by his stage name DMX, is an American rapper and actor who rose to popularity in the late-1990s. He is the 6th highest selling rapper of all time, though notably never having a top 20 Hot 100 single. He is also the only rapper to have five consecutive number one albums on the Billboard 200 Album chart to start a career.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Music career 2.1 It's Dark and Hell Is Hot 2.2 Flesh of my Flesh, Blood of my Blood 2.3 ...And Then There Was X 2.4 The Great Depression 2.5 Grand Champ 2.6 Year of the Dog...Again 2.7 The Definition of X: The Pick of the Litter 2.8 Let Em Know; Da Album 2.9 Walk With Me Now and You'll Fly With Me Later 3 Acting career 4 Discography 5 Filmography 6 References 7 External links

Early life

Earl Simmons was born in Baltimore, Maryland^[1], the first of three children. He grew up in the housing projects on School Street, in Yonkers, New York. He began rapping around the age of 13,. A local rapper, Just-Ice, eventually asked Simmons to beatbox for him. Simmons took the professional name DMX, after the Oberheim DMX, an early drum machine. He later adapted the name to mean "Dark Man X".^[2] He honed his skills during a stint at a group home. As a teenager, Simmons was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.^[3] He spent much of his adolescence and early adulthood in and out of jail. He also claims to have been a Hitman before his rap days. On his BET show DMX: Soul Of A Man he admitted that he had in fact became addicted to crack after one of his friends was giving him laced marijuana without telling him.

Music career

This section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the for details. (August 2007)

In the beginning, Earl Simmons (DMX) had already established a reputation on the underground scene long before any record label signed. He battled rappers from town to town and had his own group called Gangsters of the Ghetto (G.O.G) with his best friend DJ Superior and Big Jinx the third member of the team. They did a lot of live shows in the legendary school'12 and around Yonkers. This Crew created tons of mix CDs in the early 90's. In 1991, the Source magazine praised him in the "Unsigned Hype" section, which highlights unsigned hip-hop artists. Later Simmons was first signed to Columbia Records in 1992. He released one single, "Born Loser", which did not get much airplay. He was soon dropped from the label after his LP was pushed back numerous times. He later returned in 1994 with the single "Make A Move" but was arrested soon after. He also made an apperance along side Ja Rule and Jay-Z on the track "Time To Build" off Mic Geronimo's 1995 LP "The Natural". He linked up with Pete McCormick Schaub, an A&R for Small Island Records. Eventually, he signed a management deal with Ruff Ryders. They negotiated deals with both Bad Boy Records and Death Row Records, but he eventually landed at Def Jam.

It's Dark and Hell Is Hot

Main article: It's Dark and Hell Is Hot

In 1997, Simmons earned a second major-label shot with Def Jam, and made a successful guest appearance on LL Cool J's "4, 3, 2, 1." Additional guest spots on Ma$e's "24 Hours to Live" and The LOX's "Money, Power & Respect" created an even stronger buzz. In early 1998, he released his debut Def Jam single, "Get At Me Dog". The song went gold. It's Dark and Hell Is Hot earned Simmons numerous comparisons to Tupac Shakur for his presence on the mic, which is quite ironic because the original version of "Get At Me Dog," which eventually leaked to the internet, featured a direct diss to Tupac. The album sold over five million copies

Flesh of my Flesh, Blood of my Blood

Main article: Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood

Simmons completed his second album before the end of 1998, and a pending buyout of Def Jam pushed the record into stores on December 15. Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood entered the charts at number one (670,000 sold in its first week) and eventually went triple platinum according to RIAA. The 11th track "The Omen" featured Marilyn Manson singing the chorus. This album made DMX the first artist to debut two albums at number 1 in a single calendar year. The single "Slippin'" became his first chart hit in the UK. Simmons hit the road with Jay-Z, Method Man and Redman, on the blockbuster Hard Knock Life tour the following year. He had a song called "Jack Moves" with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, but the song never appeared on the album.

...And Then There Was X

Main article: ...And Then There Was X

Simmons released his third album, ...And Then There Was X, on December 21 1999. It debuted at number one on the pop charts, his third straight album to do so. "Party Up" was his biggest single since "Get at Me Dog", and became his first Top Ten hit on the R&B charts. His lead single off the album, "What's My Name?", and third single "What These Bitches Want" (featuring Sisqo) were also popular. .....And Then There Was X is Simmons' best-selling album to date, going six times platinum. Def Jam urged him to release the tracks within a month. The album sold 698,000 copies in its first week.

The Great Depression

Main article: The Great Depression (DMX album)

After resolving his legal problems, Simmons returned to the studio and completed his fourth album, The Great Depression. Released October 3, 2001, it was his fourth straight album to debut at number one. The Great Depression went platinum quickly, but was not as commercially or critically successful as its predecessors.

Grand Champ

Main article: Grand Champ

In 2003, Simmons released Grand Champ, his fifth straight album to debut at number one. This extended DMX's position as the only artist in history to have 5 albums (and his entire album catalog) debut at #1. After its release, he informed the public that he planned to retire, and that Grand Champ would be his final album. He later ended his brief retirement and announced his plans to record another album.

Year of the Dog...Again

Main article: Year of the Dog...Again

Simmons recorded his next album while switching record labels, causing numerous delays. The album was finally released on August 1, 2006 under the title Year of the Dog...Again. It missed the number one spot in the charts by only a few thousand sales. When Simmons switched to Sony, Def Jam allowed him to keep all of the tracks he had created for the album. It was reported that most of the tracks were being reworked, with updated production, but the reworked album has also been leaked. Simmons has appeared on a remix of Busta Rhymes' "Touch It". He has also released two more singles, "Lord Give Me A Sign" and "We In Here", which are included in Year of the Dog...Again.

The Definition of X: The Pick of the Litter

Main article: The Definition of X: The Pick of the Litter

The Definition of X: The Pick of the Litter was rumored to be the 7th solo album by DMX but instead it is a greatest hits album signed under Def Jam records. Def Jam still owns the rights to every DMX song with the exception of the songs on his Year Of The Dog... Again album. The Definition of X was released on June 12, 2007.

Let Em Know; Da Album

DMX will make an appearance on the first single released from DJ GQ's "Let Em Know; Da Album", which is slated to drop in 2008 under the independent Q-Music label. The song is entitled "Bad Boys" and features DMX, Junior Reid and Dawg E. Slaughter. This is a rare performance by DMX, who rarely does any features.

Walk With Me Now and You'll Fly With Me Later

DMX recently signed to Bodog Music to release his next album, Walk with Me Now and You'll Fly with Me Later ^[4] "I'm thankful for the fact that Bodog believes in me, that we share the same vision and the fact that they see in me the same thing I see. I'll show you Bodog Music how it's supposed to be done, and we'll get to where we're supposed to be. You got a dog for life." said X, according to Yahoo.

Acting career

Simmons made his film debut in Belly, co-starring fellow rappers Method Man and Nas. He returned to the big screen with a minor supporting role with close friend Aaliyah and actor Jet Li in Romeo Must Die. Soon after DMX's release from jail, he starred in the Steven Seagal action film Exit Wounds, which opened at number one at the box office.^[5] He contributed the hit single "No Sunshine" (based on a rework of the Bill Withers classic) to the soundtrack. He signed a multi-picture deal with Warner Bros. in the wake of the film's success. He worked with Jet Li again in Cradle 2 the Grave, which opened at number one upon its release in March 2003. He contributed several compositions to the soundtrack, which debuted in the Top Ten with hits such as "X Gon' Give It to Ya" and "Right/Wrong." He also starred in Never Die Alone, which was based on street novelist Donald Goines' book. He is also set to star in three upcoming films. He was set to star in Marble City, but was replaced by Ving Rhames.^[6] He has finished filming another action thriller called Last Hour which should see a release at the end of 2007. He also had a reality show on BET called DMX: Soul of a Man. He will also star in the 2007 Beast, the sequel to Belly. He just finished shooting an upcoming film with Kris Kristofferson titled Lords Of The Street, the release date has yet to be set. He is also set to star along side Clifton Powell & Vivica A. Fox in a film titled "Father of Lies".

Discography

Main article: DMX discography

Solo

• 1998: It's Dark and Hell Is Hot
• 1998: Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood
• 1999: ...And Then There Was X
• 2001: The Great Depression
• 2003: Grand Champ
• 2006: Year of the Dog...Again
• 2008: Walk with Me Now and You'll Fly with Me Later^[7]

Greatest Hits

• 2007: The Definition of X: The Pick of the Litter

With The Ruff Ryders

• 1999: Ryde or Die Vol. 1
• 2000: Ryde or Die Vol. 2
• 2001: Ryde or Die Vol. 3
• 2005: The Redemption Vol. 4

Filmography

• 1998: Belly
• 2000: Romeo Must Die
• 2001: Exit Wounds
• 2003: Cradle 2 the Grave
• 2004: Never Die Alone
• 2006: "DMX: Soul of a Man" (TV series)
• 2007: Last Hour

References

External links

• Official DMX website
• DMX at the Internet Movie Database
• AllHipHop Interview
• DMX's official clothing line
• Maxim.com Rap Public Service Announcement featuring DMX

•  • e DMX
Albums	It's Dark and Hell Is Hot · Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood · ...And Then There Was X · The Great Depression · Grand Champ · Year of the Dog... Again · The Definition of X: The Pick of the Litter · Walk with Me Now and You'll Fly with Me Later
Singles	"Get at Me Dog" · "How's It Goin' Down" · "Ruff Ryders Anthem" · "Slippin'" · "What's My Name?" · "Party Up" · "We Right Here" · "Who We Be" · "I Miss You" · "X Gon' Give It to Ya" · "Where the Hood At?" · "We in Here" · "Lord Give Me a Sign" · "Come Thru' (Move)"
Filmography	Belly · Romeo Must Die · Exit Wounds · Angel: One More Road to Cross · Cradle 2 the Grave · Eve · Third Watch · Never Die Alone · DMX: Soul of a Man
Related articles	Discography