It’s a sad day today for the Rap and Hip Hop community; Rapper and Actor, DMX has passed away at the age of 50. X whose real name is Earl Simmons was admitted at White Plains Hospital in New York on April 2nd following a possible drug overdose that led to a heart attack. He also tested positive for COVID-19 which made it difficult for family and friends to see him.
Born on Dec. 18, 1970, in Mount Vernon, New York, but raised in Yonkers, Earl Simmons was the second of three children of a single mother and he had a rough childhood where he experienced physical abuse from his mother and he was in and out homes for a majority of his youth but when he migrating from home to home, he developed an interest in music and adopted his stage name, Dark Man X.
In 1984, at the age of 13, he began rapping/beatboxing where he amused crowds of children including local rappers with his heavy rhymes but his career failed to gain momentum as he was always getting into fights as well as being on the run from the police. He also began doing underground shows where he would do rap battles against different artists. He famously battled Brooklyn native and Hip Hop legend, Jay Z and won which resulted in him establishing his mark in the New York area. He would later release his first album, DMX: Unleashed and Unreleased which rocked the streets of Yonkers.
Despite his early success, X would still continue to be in and out of prison but he decided to cut down on his troubled ways and he would later sign a deal with Def Jam Records after failed attempts to land a deal with Bad Boy and Death Row Records.
In 1998, DMX made his major label debut with the certified gold single, “Get at Me Dog” and released his first studio, It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot which featured the popular hit single, “Ruff Ryders Anthem. His first album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and sold more than 5 million copies. He would later produce his second album, Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood which span singles: “Slippin” and “No Love 4 Me” and the album went 3X platinum
In 1999, his third studio album, ...And Then There Was X was released and went 5X platinum status and was nominated for two grammys including best rap album. The album contains singles: “What’s My Name,” “Party Up (Up in Here),” and “What These B****** Wan.t” DMX would later give a memorable performance in front of millions of fans at the Woodstock ‘99 festival which was held in Rome, New York from July 23-25, 1999.
X would later continue his hot streak of No. 1 debuts on the billboard 200 with studio albums: 2001’s The Great Depression and 2003’s Grand Champ. His single “Who We Be,” would score a Grammy nomination for best rap solo performance. He would later release 3 studio albums up until 2012.
Outside of his musical element, DMX was also an actor where he made his acting debut in the 1998 film, Belly directed by Hype Williams where he played a lead role alongside Queens, New York native and hip hop artist, Nas. He would also play a role in Romeo Must Die (2000) directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak alongside his close friend, the late singer, Aaliyah whom he would be seeing again up in heaven and Jet Li.
Following the success of Romeo Must Die, DMX and Bartkowiak would partner up again and produce several collaborations with films Exit Wounds (2001), co-starring Steven Seagal and Eva Mendes, and Cradle 2 the Grave (2003), where Jet Li and DMX would team up again. His final movie appearance came in 2004 in crime thriller, Never Die Alone, directed by Ernest R. Dickerson. He also starred in several direct-to-DVD films including: Last Hour (2008) with Michael Madsen and Beyond the Law (2019) reuniting with Steven Seagal.
Despite his mesmerizing career, DMX had dealt with serious legal issues for federal tax evasion, robbery, animal cruelty, and drug including substance abuse that he struggled with throughout most his life which may have led to his demise pending an investigation.
In spite of his up and down career, DMX fought till the very end especially during this ongoing pandemic but he will always be remembered as one of the greatest MC’s to have ever lived and one the most electrifying artists who defined Hip-Hop over the course of the Millennial Era. He leaves behind his widow girlfriend, Desiree Lindstrom, and his 15 children. RIP X, the dog may be gone but never forgotten.
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