DMX

Hip-hop

DMX was born Earl Simmons and grew up in Mount Vernon, New York, and he brought a raw, gravelly intensity to hip-hop that nobody else had in the late nineties. His 1998 debut made him one of the biggest names in rap almost overnight, and his bark, his growl, and his unflinching honesty about pain and faith made songs like "Ruff Ryders' Anthem" and "Party Up (Up in Here)" endure long after the charts moved on. He died in 2021, but the urgency in his voice still sounds like no one else.

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It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot (1998). His debut, and the record that put him on the map. It has "Ruff Ryders' Anthem," "Get at Me Dog," and "Stop Being Greedy," and it captures the hunger and menace that made him impossible to ignore.

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Biography

Earl Simmons (December 18, 1970 – April 9, 2021), known professionally as DMX, was an American rapper, songwriter, and actor. His accolades included an American Music Award, a Billboard Music Award, and four Grammy Award nominations. Regarded as an influential figure in the late 1990s and early 2000s and one of the greats of hip-hop, his music is characterized by his "aggressive" rapping style, with lyrical content varying from hardcore themes to personal themes such as trauma or childhood abuse.

DMX began rapping in the late 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 copies in its first week and spawning the Billboard Hot 100-top 20 single, "Ruff Ryders' Anthem". His second album, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood (1998), was followed by his 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)".

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