DMX

Earl Simmons (December 18, 1970 - April 9, 2021) also known as DMX, was an American rapper and actor. His debut album, It's Dark and Hot, was released in 1998 to great critical and commercial great success. It sold 251,000 copies during its first week. [5][6] DMX released his top-selling album, ... And Then There Was X in 1999. It included the hit track "Party Up (Up in Here)". The singles he released "Where the Hood At?" and "X Gon' Give It to Ya?" in 2003 were also commercially successful. Commercially, his 2003 singles "Where the Hood Is?" and "X Gon' give It to Ya" were also extremely popular. He was the first artist to ever have an album that debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 charts five times consecutively. In total, DMX sold over 74 million albums worldwide. 8 DMX was in movies such as Belly, Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds, Cradle 2 the Grave, as well as Last Hour. He was the main character in the 2006 reality television series DMX. Soul of a Man. It was primarily airing on the BET cable channel Never Die Alone. The show was followed by E.A.R.L., his memoirs in 2003. : The Autobiography of DMX. 9 DMX was 14 when he beatboxed at Ready Ron. After serving time in prison for taking a dog, the rapper started writing his own songs and performed at the local rec center for younger youngsters. In 1988, when he was being imprisoned for carjacking, he began dedicating the majority of his spare time writing lyrics and also meeting and rapping with K-Solo. 3] After he was released that summer He began creating and selling mixtapes of his own where he rapped over instrumentals from songs. He sold them on street corners that helped him establish an audience of locals all over New York. DMX appeared on The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show in 1991 along with Percee P on which they both freestyled. [1515 DMX released a demo tape later on the year featuring "Spellbound", along with "Critical Condition" Three Little Pigs "The Original Author of Spellbound", and "Unstoppable force". It featured a style like Big Daddy Kane and Rakim however, it was different from his later material. 3] In 1991, The Source magazine praised DMX for his Unsigned Hype column that highlighted hip hop artists that were not signed. In the same year, Columbia Records signed DMX to its subsidiary label Ruffhouse Records, which released his debut single "Born Loser". In 1994, he released "Make A Move" the second single from his debut album. Jay-Z, Ja Rule and Mic Geronimo made an appearance on "Time to Build" the legendary underground track. DMX died in 2021 after suffering a heart attack due to cocaine.