Earl Simmons was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the second of three children. He grew up in the housing projects on School Street, in Yonkers, New York. He began rapping around the age of 13 A local rapper eventually asked Simmons to beatbox for him. Simmons took the .professional name DMX, after the Oberheim DMX, an early drum machine. He later adapted the name to mean "Dark Man X".He honed his skills during a stint at a group home. As a teenager, Simmons was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He spent much of his adolescence and early adulthood in and out of jail.


Music career
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At the beginning the Dog (DarkManX) had already established a reputation on the underground scene long before any record label signed him. He battling rappers from town to town and have his own group called Gangsters of the Ghetto (G.O.G) with his best friend DJ Superior and Big Jinx the third member of the team. They did a lot of live shows in the legendary school'12 at Yonkers. This Crew create tons of mix CD's in the early 90's. Later Simmons was first signed to Columbia Records in 1992. He released one single, "Born Loser", which did not get much airplay. He was soon dropped from the label. He linked up with Pete McCormick Schaub, an A&R for Small Island Records. Eventually, he signed a management deal with Ruff Ryders. They negotiated deals with both Bad Boy and Death Row Records, but he eventually landed at Def Jam. He is currently at Sony BMG, and released his first of three albums, Year of the Dog...Again on August 1, 2006. Rumors also arose that he had signed with 50 Cent's G-Unit Records, but those were dismissed in a public news conference. After signing for Sony BMG, Simmons admitted that he was close to signing with Full Surface, which was founded by close friend and Ruff Ryders president Swizz Beatz. Simmons has started his own label, Bloodline Records.


It's Dark and Hell Is Hot
Main article: It's Dark and Hell Is Hot
In 1997, Simmons earned a second major-label shot with Def Jam, and made a successful guest appearance on LL Cool J's "4, 3, 2, 1." Additional guest spots on Ma$e's "24 Hours to Live" and The LOX's "Money, Power & Respect" created an even stronger buzz. In early 1998, he released his debut Def Jam single, "Get At Me Dog". The song went gold.

It's Dark and Hell Is Hot earned Simmons numerous comparisons to Tupac Shakur for his presence on the mic, which is quite ironic because the original version of "Get At Me Dog," which eventually leaked to the internet, featured a direct diss to Tupac. The album sold over four million copies.


Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood
Main article: Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood
Simmons completed his second album before the end of 1998, and a pending buyout of Def Jam pushed the record into stores on December 15. Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood entered the charts at number one (670,000 sold in its first week) and eventually went triple platinum according to RIAA. This album made DMX the first artist to debut two albums at number 1 in a single calendar year. The single "Slippin'" became his first chart hit in the UK.

Simmons hit the road with Jay-Z, Method Man and Redman on the blockbuster Hard Knock Life tour the following year. He had a song called "Jack Moves" with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, but the song did not appear on the album.


...And Then There Was X
Main article: ...And Then There Was X
Simmons released his third album, ...And Then There Was X, on December 21, 1999. It debuted at number one on the pop charts, his third straight album to do so. "Party Up" was his biggest single since "Get at Me Dog", and became his first Top Ten hit on the R&B charts. His lead single off the album, "What's My Name?", and third single "What These Bitches Want" (featuring Sisq