After DMX went on to star in successful movies like belly, romeo must die, exit wounds, and cradle to the grave, DMX released his best-selling album of all time, "x," which included the popular tune "party up in here."

DMX was in critical condition after being hospitalized and put on life support in March 2021 for a heart attack brought on by a drug overdose.

Rapper DMX replaced hip-hop legends like Biggie and Tupac as the undisputed king of hardcore rap after their deaths.

DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was a special kind of superstar whose reputation on the streets would make him a commercial powerhouse. Although it took him almost ten years to rise to the top of the rap game, his journey made him one of rap's most recognizable figures.

It's simple to overlook how prosperous DMX was. He is the only rapper to this day whose first five studio albums debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart. He's the only rapperwhose two albums achieved platinum status in the same calendar year.

Because DMX has also garnered attention for events unrelated to his work, these things can fall by the wayside. For instance, he has spent about 30 times in jail throughout the course of his life on accusations ranging from narcotics possession to robbery to probation violation, as well as many other offenses.

Since he was 14 years old, he has also battled a crack cocaine addiction, which is what led to the most recent turn of events in his life.

DMX did battle for his in the hospital in March of 2021 after having a heart attack after an overdose, with some of his closest friends in the business sending their best wishes for his recovery.


Without further ado, let's explore DMX's past and current circumstances.

On December 18, 1970, Earl Simmons was born in Mount Vernon, New York. Earl and his family relocated to the city of Yonkers when he was a little child, and there he was raised in a particularly problematic and abusive atmosphere. His mother would frequently beat him severely, occasionally knocking out his teeth.


DMX spent a significant portion of his childhood living in group homes. Eventually, he learned how to survive on the streets by himself through robbery, which as you might expect resulted in several run-ins with the law.

He was first detained at the age of 10 and accused of starting a fire. He would be detained once more later that year. Things didn't get any simpler as DMX aged. He recently confessed in interviews that he was handed a blunt laced with crack when he was 14 years old, tricking him into smoking the drug for the first time in his life.

And to make matters worse, he looked up to the individual who misled him as a mentor figure in his life. This would generate a conflict between DMX and dependency issues, one that would become even more challenging as it started to impact his mental health as well. DMX acknowledges in the BET documentary "the bumpy road of chronicles" that he has struggled with multiple personality disorder in addition to his drug addiction.


Despite having a challenging life, DMX would find salvation in the hip-hop genre, first as a dj and human beatbox, before transitioning into the rap game. He adopted the name DMX from the digital drum machine he'd used to make beats in order to improve his visibility, and he started building his new image into a hip-hop icon on the freestyle fight scene.

 It didn't take him long to get himself included in the unsigned hype column of Source magazine, and by 1992, DMX had signed with Colombia's subsidiary "Roughhouse," releasing his debut single, "Born Loser." Sadly, DMX would be terribly underpromoted shortly after due to the record label's roster's abundance of ability. Consequently, the label eventually consented to cancel his contract. He released his subsequent song, "make a move," in 1994, and tragically, the same year, after doing so, he was found guilty of narcotics possession.

After being released from prison, DMX started to resurrect his career by taking part in one of Dj Clues' underground mixtapes. This helped him land a second major label deal with def jam and opportunities to collaborate with artists like llc. Early in 1998, DMX was prepared to release his "Get at me dog" def jam debut single, which went on to become a gold-selling blockbuster hit for him and set the stage for his full-length debut studio album, "it's dark and hell is hot," which debuted at the top of the Billboard charts.

The record would go on to sell over four million copies and launch the careers of its producers in Swiss Beats in addition to dmx.

DMX, whose musical career was flourishing, shifted his attention to the big screen when he made his feature film debut as a co-star in the ambitious movie "belly."

By the end of 1998, DMX would not only buy himself out of his contract with def Jam, but he would also release his second album, the contentious "flesh of my flesh blood of my blood," which at the time of its release caused controversy due to the graphic imagery on the front cover of DMX, who was completely covered in blood.

However, as is well known, there is no such thing as bad PR, and that album finally achieved triple platinum status. In 1999, DMX and Jay-Z embarked on the successful Hard Knock Life tour, which also included "Method Man and Red Men."

Unfortunately, during that summer, when DMX's acting manager and uncle was unintentionally shot in the foot at the new jersey hotel, very severe accusations would be made. After the event, authorities would raid DMX's house and accuse him of possessing drugs, firearms, and animal abuse. Ultimately, DMX's plea deal was reduced to fines, probation, and community service.

He was putting out his third album, "And Then There Was X", towards the end of 1999. Not only was this his third consecutive number-one album, but it also yielded his biggest hit since "get at me dog" with the timeless "Party up (up in here)" single, a song that could actually turn a church up and helped make his record his largest seller to date with over 5 million copies sold.


Around this time, the jet li action movie "Romeo must die" marked DMX's triumphant comeback to the silver screen. But soon after, he found himself embroiled in drug and firearm accusations in the state of New York, which led to his eventual guilty plea and 15 days in jail. Only a few weeks after being released, his new movie "Exit wounds" starring Steven Seagal debuted at the top of the box office and contained his popular song "No Sunshine."

Warner Brothers signed DMX to a multi-picture deal as a result of the enormous success of both of these projects, and he released his fourth album, "The Great Depression," in the fall of 2001. DMX was busier than ever in the upcoming years, releasing albums like "grand champ" and "Year of the Dog... Again" and acting in the gently movie, "From Cradle to Grave."

But shortly after, other legal troubles will arise, such as being forced to serve 90 days in jail after confessing to accusations of animal cruelty, cocaine use, and theft in late 2008.

In 2010, the parole breach brought on by drinking would extend a 90-day sentence for reckless driving to a full year. He undisputedly came back to music in 2012, but by that time his CDs weren't selling as well.

After his label published Redemption of the Beast in 2015 without getting his approval, Dmx was once more imprisoned for two months for not paying child support.

After that, DMX's musical output was, to put it mildly, erratic. He released a song called Blood Red in 2016 and the single, "Bane in his Back" the following year. After receiving a one-year prison sentence for tax fraud in 2017, Dmx had one of the most challenging times in his life. He turned himself in and ultimately posted $500,000. He was then given house arrest, but after administering a negative drug test, he was taken off house arrest and imprisoned.

DMX was released from prison in January 2019 after serving the final 90 days of a term in solitary confinement, and before the end of the year, he had entered a treatment facility.

DMX then reappeared in April 2020, this time on Instagram, where he started leading bible study sessions.

Finally, DMX appeared to be clean and in good health—possibly for the first time in his life. To the delight of pretty much everyone on the planet, he even made an appearance in an episode of "Versus" when he faced off against Snoop Dogg.

Of course, appearances can often be deceiving, and in this instance, that would also hold true. Recent reports claim that Dmx overdosed on drugs and then had a heart attack at home. Paramedics tried to revive the celebrity for 30 minutes after they arrived on the scene, but the star's brain was severely damaged by the prolonged oxygen deprivation, and DMX was on life support for a short while.

His children issued a statement reminding us of just how much of a fighter their father is, how he has been a warrior his entire life, and how this situation represents yet another road he must cross. Things were decidedly not looking good at all and sadly, he passed away on the 19th of April 2021.