DMX

Artist Image: DMX
Attribution
Image Credit: John B. Mueller (John Mueller, via email, to Nicholas Moreau. Created for the Wikimedia Foundation.), CC BY 2.5

Biography

Earl Simmons (born December 18, 1970) better known by his stage name DMX (also known as Dog Man X and Dark Man X) is a multi-Platinum American rapper and actor. In 1999, DMX released his best-selling album ...And Then There Was X, which featured the hit single "Party Up (Up in Here)". He has acted in films such as Belly, Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds, Cradle 2 The Grave, and Last Hour. 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, DMX published a book of his memoirs entitled, E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX. DMX released a mixtape The Weigh In as a prelude/promotion towards his album Undisputed (2012). DMX has sold over 20 million records in the US alone, making him one of the best-selling hip-hop artists of all time.

Details

Item Name Item Details
Year Formed 1988
Number of Albums 38
Record Label Ruff Ryders
Website www.dmx-official.com
Wikipedia DMX on Wikipedia
Social Networks

Trivia

Who was the founder of Ruff Ryders?

Joaquin Waah Dean

...Music We spoke with Ruff Ryders founder Joaquin Waah Dean and producer Dame Grease about Its Dark and Hell is Hot, DMXs classic debut. Having spent mo...
Who was Dame Grease?

producer

...Music We spoke with Ruff Ryders founder Joaquin Waah Dean and producer Dame Grease about Its Dark and Hell is Hot, DMXs classic debut. Having spent mo...
What was DMX's classic debut?

Its Dark and Hell is Hot

...yders founder Joaquin Waah Dean and producer Dame Grease about Its Dark and Hell is Hot , DMXs classic debut. Having spent most of his childhood in and...
Where did he spend most of his childhood?

in and out of childrens homes

... Hot, DMXs classic debut. Having spent most of his childhood in and out of childrens homes , a teenage DMX would wander the streets of Baltimore (and l...
When did X release his debut album?

May 12, 1998

...me his introspective debut album Its Dark and Hell is Hot dropped on May 12, 1998 , X had already been through more trials and tribulations than your a...
What did millions of people feel about X?

reassuringly human and downtoearth

... X, with his wartsandall honesty, was an artist that felt reassuringly human and downtoearth . From Tupac to Cardi B, there are few rap artists who arr...
Who was a rap artist that felt reassuring and downto earth?

X

...ray dogs he used to feed in the streets of Yonkers. To millions of people, X , with his wartsandall honesty, was an artist that felt reassuringly human...
Earl DMX Simmons was one of the few rap artists who arrived in the mainstream already feeling what?

fully formed

...ere are few rap artists who arrive in the mainstream already feeling fully formed , but it was clear Earl DMX Simmons was among them. With Its Dark and...
What was DMX's first album called?

It's Dark and Hell Is Hot

... and gained a formidable following with his first debut album, It's Dark and Hell Is Hot . He increased his audience exponentially with his immediate f...
What was the name of his follow-up album?

Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood

...udience exponentially with his immediate followup album, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood . Both albums reached number one on the Billboard charts ...
How many consecutive albums did he have to debut at the top spot on the Billboard chart in 2003?

five

... records again and again. By 2003 he had become the first person to have five consecutive albums debut at the top spot on the Billboard charts. While ...
What did he often leave alone to do?

walk the streets of his neighborhood

...five sisters, the futurerap star was often left alone to walk the streets of his neighborhood , to entertain himself and find his own answers. From thi...
What was the primary appeal of his lyrics about his life?

strength and survival

... popular and prolific stars. His raw, aggressive lyrics focus on strength and survival , keys to overcoming the adversity of life on the streets. DMX p...
What made DMX one of rap's most distinctive personalities during his heyday?

theatrical image

...ost a decade in the making, which gave him a chance to develop the theatrical image that made him one of rap's most distinctive personalities during h...
What was a perfect match for his trademark lyrical obsession with dogs?

gruff, barking delivery

...emittingly intense, from his muscular, tattooed physique to his gruff, barking delivery , which was a perfect match for his trademark lyrical obsession...
What was the name of Cash's final album?

Undisputed

...phop Johnny Cash. Although he released his final proper studio album, Undisputed , in 2012, he continued to issue singles into 2021. Shortly after his ...
When did Cash release Undisputed?

2012

...Cash. Although he released his final proper studio album, Undisputed, in 2012 , he continued to issue singles into 2021. Shortly after his tragic death...
What year did Cash die?

2021

...er studio album, Undisputed, in 2012, he continued to issue singles into 2021 . Shortly after his tragic death that year, his ninth studio album and fi...
What was the name of his ninth album?

Exodus

... death that year, his ninth studio album and first posthumous material, Exodus , was released. He moved with part of his family to the New York City su...
What turned him violent?

A troubled and abusive childhood

...New York City suburb of Yonkers while still a young child. A troubled and abusive childhood turned him violent, and he spent a great deal of time livi...
In what year was he featured in The Source's Unsigned Hype column?

1991

...unins with the law. He made a name for himself on the freestyle battle scene and was written up in The Source magazine's Unsigned Hype column in 1991 ....
What was DMX also known as?

Dark Man X

...n the School Street Projects of Yonkers, New York, DMX, also known as Dark Man X , was a lonely boy. Despite his five sisters, the futurerap star was o...
What did DMX learn to do in his solitude?

befriend dogs

...andid lyrics about ghetto life. In his solitude, DMX also learned to befriend dogs , developing such a strong bond with his canine friends that he had ...
What animal did he become a friend of?

dogs

... lyrics about ghetto life. In his solitude, DMX also learned to befriend dogs , developing such a strong bond with his canine friends that he had the n...
What was DMX's former pet?

Boomer

...ch a strong bond with his canine friends that he had the name of his former pet, Boomer , tattooed on his back after he was struck and killed by a car....
When was Earl Simmons born?

December 18, 1970

...HipHop Bio: Earl Simmons (born December 18, 1970 ) better known by his stage name DMX (also known as Dog Man X and Dark Man X) is a multiPlatinum Ameri...
What instrument did Divine Master of the Unknown pay tribute to?

Oberheim DMX drum machine

...t also pays tribute to an instrument he used in the 1980s, the Oberheim DMX drum machine . He has acted in films such as Belly, Romeo Must Die, Exit Wo...
In what year did he star in a reality television show?

2006

...elly, Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds, Cradle 2 The Grave, and Last Hour. In 2006 , he starred in the reality television series DMX: Soul of a Man, which w...
What reality show did DMX star in in 2006?

DMX: Soul of a Man

...d Last Hour. In 2006, he starred in the reality television series DMX: Soul of a Man , which was primarily aired on the BET cable television network. I...
What was the name of the book that he wrote in 2003?

E.A.R.L

...evision network. In 2003, DMX published a book of his memoirs entitled, E.A.R.L . Early life DMX was born on December 18, 1970, to Joe Barker and Arnet...
Who was his father's name?

Joe Barker

...s entitled, E.A.R.L. Early life DMX was born on December 18, 1970, to Joe Barker and Arnett Simmons (who became pregnant with him when she was ninetee...
What city is he said to have been born in?

Baltimore, MD

...ing reports as to where he was born, with some saying he was born in Baltimore, MD and other saying he was born in Mount Vernon, NY. At a young age hi...
What was the name of the infamous robbing project in Yonkers?

School Street projects

...ernon, NY. At a young age his Mother moved them to the infamous School Street projects in Yonkers where DMX would learn his trade of robbing. As a you...
Where did he spend most of his adolescence?

in and out of juvenile detention and youth group homes

...ch as robbery and spent much of his adolescence in and out of juvenile detention and youth group homes . DMX always looked down on street level drug de...
What is the stage name DMX?

Dark Man of the Unknown

...d Simmons agreed, adopting the stage name DMX, which stands for Dark Man of the Unknown , X being an algebraic expression for unknown. But at the time,...
What was he often on the run from?

police

... group home. He also got into fights and frequently was on the run from police . During this period, he also began doing shows and battling other rappe...
What was the name of his first album?

DMX: Unleashed and Unreleased

...elf in the New York area. He released his first album called DMX: Unleashed and Unreleased which was an instant hit on the streets of Yonkers. He was ...
In what year did he appear in The Source's Unsigned Hype?

1988

...kers. He was also featured in the Unsigned Hype section of The Source in 1988 . He stated he wanted to be a preacher when he retires from his rapping c...
What did Hype want to be when he retires from his rapping career?

preacher

...signed Hype section of The Source in 1988. He stated he wanted to be a preacher when he retires from his rapping career as he stated in his reality TV...
What did one of his deceased dogs read on his back?

One Love Boomer

...g career as he stated in his reality TV Show DMX: Soul Of A Man. He had a tattoo of one of his deceased dogs, on his back, which read One Love Boomer ....
In what decade did DMX begin rapping?

1990s

...For other uses, see DMX (disambiguation). He began rapping in the early 1990s and released his debut album It's Dark and Hell Is Hot in 1998, to both ...
In what year did he release his debut album?

1998

...he early 1990s and released his debut album It's Dark and Hell Is Hot in 1998 , to both critical acclaim and commercial success, selling 251,000 copies...
How many copies of 'It's Dark and Hell Is Hot' were sold within its first week of release?

251,000

...s Hot in 1998, to both critical acclaim and commercial success, selling 251,000 copies within its first week of release. DMX released his bestselling ...
In what year did DMX release his bestselling album?

1999

...elease. DMX released his bestselling album, ... And Then There Was X, in 1999 , which included the hit single Party Up (Up in Here). He was the first a...
What was the name of the single on DMx's 1999 album... And Then There Was X?

Party Up (Up in Here).

..... And Then There Was X, in 1999, which included the hit single Party Up (Up in Here). He was the first artist to debut an album at No. Overall, DMX s...
On what network was the reality series Soul of a Man aired?

BET

...ty 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 en...
What was Simmons' second child?

Earl

...n network. In 2003, he published a book of his memoirs entitled E.A.R.L. Earl was Simmons' second child; she had given birth to a daughter, Bonita, tw...
When did Simmons meet Ready Ron?

1984

...ons developed a love for hiphop music, and met local rapper Ready Ron in 1984 , who asked Simmons to become his partner. Simmons chose the name DMX the...
What drum machine did Simmons use at the group home?

Oberheim DMX

... become his partner. Simmons chose the name DMX the Great, after the Oberheim DMX drum machine Simmons used at the group home. Simmons also robbed peo...