DMX’s biography, fact, career, awards, net worth & life story

American actor and rapper DMX has an estimated net worth of -$1 million. To date, DMX has sold more than 30 million records across the globe, making him one of the best-selling hip-hop artists of all time.

Known by his stage name DMX, Earl Simmons was born on December 18, 1970, in Mount Vernon, New York, USA. The second child of Arnett Simmons, he was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness in Yonkers, New York. As a child, he suffered from severe bronchial asthma, meaning he was often taken to the emergency room with breathing difficulties. He was abused by his mother and her boyfriends, and at age 11 he was sent to live at the Julia Dyckman Andrus Children’s Home for 18 months. After some time living with his mother again, he was again sent to a boys’ home where he bonded with the other residents over a shared love of hip-hop music. His newfound friends as well as his teacher encouraged him to write songs and develop his rapping abilities, and when he returned to Yonkers, he met Ready Ron, a local rapper, who asked him to collaborate. Simmons chose the name DMX because of the Oberheim DMX drum machine they’d had at the boys’ home, and he later said it also stands for “Dark Man X”.

He began his music career producing and selling his own mixtapes where he would rap over instrumentals from other songs. In 1991, Gabriel Grevenstuk from The Source magazine featured DMX in his “Unsigned Hype” column, and that same year, he recorded his first demo tapes. In 1992 he was signed to Columbia Records’ subsidiary label, Ruffhouse, and he released his debut single “Born Loser” – the single was not very successful and the label released him from his contract. His second single was released in 1994, entitled “Make a Move” and he made a guest appearance alongside Jay Z, Ja Rule, and Mic Geronimo on “Time to Build” from Geronimo’s debut album in 1995. In 1997, he appeared on LL Cool J’s single “4,3,2,1” and he had guest spots on singles and videos by Mase, The LOX and Sum 41.

In 1998 joined Def Jam and released “Get At Me Dog”, which was certified gold by the RIAA – meaning it sold over 50,000 copies. His debut major-label album It’s Dark and Hell is Hot was released in May of the same year and went to number one in the Billboard 200 chart in its first week, eventually selling over five million copies.  His second album Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood also debuted at number one later that year, eventually going four times platinum.

As an actor, DMX has appeared in films such as Cradle 2 The Grave, Last Hour, Exit Wounds, Belly and Belly, and Romeo Must Die. He also performed the starring role on DMX: Soul of a Man, a reality TV series that was initially aired on the BET Cable TV network.

Released in 1999, DMX’s bestselling album, … And Then There Was X, spawned the hit single titled “Party Up (Up in Here)” – his first top-ten hit in the R&B charts. Over the next nine years, DMX’s albums and singles consistently sold well for Def Jam, although the rapper was beset with legal problems. It was later revealed that Jay Z took on the $12 million DMX owed to the label at the point of his departure.

He has been incarcerated numerous times throughout his life for drug, tax, driving, and animal cruelty offenses. In 2009, he quit rapping to study the bible and become a preacher – DMX is a Christian and reads the bible every day – but would continue to produce music.

DMX is the father of 15 children. He was married to Tashera Simmons from 1999 until 2010. Tashera announced their separation after the first of her husband’s three incarcerations that year. In 2013, DMX filed for bankruptcy, listing his assets at $50,000 and liabilities between $1 million and $10 million, citing his child support obligations as his priority claim, of around $1.24 million.

In 2017 he was charged with 14 federal tax fraud counts after failing to file tax returns from 2010 to 2015 – a period in which he reportedly earned at least $2 million. After serving one year in prison, the rapper owed the IRS $2.3 million, which he is paying off in monthly installments.

He has been open about his addiction to crack cocaine and his bipolar disorder. In April 2021 he was hospitalized in White Plains, New York following a heart attack. Artists including Ja Rule, Chance the Rapper, Missy Elliott and Rick Ross sent messages of support. As of updating this article on April 6, 2021, no further updates have been given on his condition.

Sources: Wikipedia, All Hip-Hop, Christian Today, Cheat Sheet, Distractify, Revolt, BBC