Earl Simmons (December 18, 1970 – April 9, 2021), known professionally as DMX, was an American rapper and actor. Regarded as an influential figure in the late 1990s and early 2000s hip hop, his music is characterized by his "aggressive" rapping style, with lyrical content varying from hardcore themes to prayers.
DMX began rapping in the early 1990s. After an unsuccessful tenure on Columbia Records, he signed with Ruff Ryders Entertainment in a joint venture with Def Jam Recordings to release his debut studio album It's Dark and Hell Is Hot (1998), which was met with critical and commercial success—selling 251,000 units its first week and yielding the Billboard Hot 100-top 40 single "Ruff Ryders Anthem". It was the first of five of his albums to consectively debut atop the Billboard 200, with DMX becoming the first artist in the chart's history to do so. His second album, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood (1999) was followed by third, ... And Then There Was X (1999), which became his best-selling release and was supported by his second top 40 single, "Party Up (Up in Here)". His fourth album, The Great Depression (2001) was followed by his fifth, Grand Champ (2003), which was led by the single "Where the Hood At?" and included the international bonus track "X Gon Give It to Ya". Although his following releases trailed critically and commercially, by 2021, DMX had sold over 75 million records worldwide.
DMX was featured in films such as Belly (1998), alongside Nas, Romeo Must Die (2000), alongside Aaliyah and Cradle 2 the Grave (2003), alongside Jet Li, Exit Wounds (2001), Beyond the Law (2019), alongside Steven Seagal, and Last Hour (2008), alongside Michael Madsen. In 2006, he starred in the reality television series DMX: Soul of a Man, which was primarily aired on the BET cable television network. In 2003, he published a book of his memoirs titled E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX.
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