DMX

In the realm of hardcore rap, DMX stood as the direct successor to 2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G. Serving as Ruff Ryders' primary MC, he embodied an uncommon blend of blockbuster commercial dominance paired with deep artistic integrity and genuine street authenticity. His swift rise to prominence actually required nearly ten years of groundwork, allowing time to craft the dramatic persona that set him apart as one of rap's most singular figures at his peak. Every aspect of DMX radiated unrelenting force, from his powerful, inked frame to his rough, snarling vocal style that aligned seamlessly with his signature focus on canine imagery in his rhymes. Substance accompanied the surface intensity; much of his output revolved around the tension between the holy and the worldly. He shifted from moments of spiritual torment to tales of urban transgression while maintaining a unified, multifaceted identity reminiscent of a hip-hop counterpart to Johnny Cash. Those elements proved powerful enough for DMX to become the initial performer whose opening five albums, beginning with 1998's It's Dark and Hell Is Hot and extending through 2003's Grand Champ, each launched atop the Billboard 200. Year of the Dog...Again, his concluding release under Ruff Ryders, came close to stretching that streak to six entries in 2006. Though he issued his last official studio project, Undisputed, in 2012, he kept dropping singles through 2021. In the wake of his untimely passing that year, his ninth studio effort and initial posthumous collection, Exodus, appeared.

Earl Simmons entered the world as DMX in Mount Vernon, New York, on December 18, 1970. He relocated with some relatives to the New York City suburb of Yonkers during early childhood. A difficult and violent upbringing fostered aggression, leading him to reside extensively in group facilities and sustain himself through theft on the streets, which produced repeated legal encounters. Hip-hop offered his path to redemption, beginning as a DJ and human beatbox before transitioning to rapping to capture more attention, adopting the moniker from the DMX digital drum machine though it has also been taken to signify "Dark Man X." He built recognition on the freestyle battle circuit and received coverage in The Source magazine's Unsigned Hype section in 1991. Columbia's Ruffhouse imprint granted him a contract the next year and issued his first single, "Born Loser." Yet an abundance of talent on the Ruffhouse roster resulted in limited promotion, prompting the label to free him from the agreement. He put out one additional single in 1994, "Make a Move."

DMX started reconstructing his trajectory through a feature on one of DJ Clue?'s underground mixtapes. During 1997, he secured another major-label opportunity at Def Jam and delivered an electrifying guest turn on LL Cool J's "4, 3, 2, 1." Additional appearances on Mase's "24 Hours to Live" and fellow Yonkers artists the LOX's "Money, Power & Respect" generated heightened anticipation, leading to the early 1998 launch of his debut Def Jam single, "Get at Me Dog." That track achieved gold status as a hit on the rap and dance charts and cleared the path for DMX's full-length debut, It's Dark and Hell Is Hot, to arrive at number one on the Billboard 200 in May 1998. Crafted largely by Swizz Beatz, who leveraged the project's triumph into his own prosperous production path, It's Dark and Hell Is Hot prompted widespread comparisons to 2Pac for DMX's commanding, forceful microphone presence and eventually moved more than four million units. DMX made his feature-film entrance by co-starring in Hype Williams' Belly.

By the close of 1998, DMX finished his second album, and an impending Def Jam acquisition placed the record in stores that December. Boasting a provocative cover image of the rapper drenched in blood, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and ultimately attained triple-platinum certification. The subsequent year, DMX toured alongside Jay-Z and the Method Man/Redman collective on the massive Hard Knock Life tour. The Ruff Ryders crew, with DMX as a foundational member, soon unveiled a showcase compilation, Ryde or Die, Vol. 1. Drawing input from DMX together with Eve, the LOX, and assorted guests, Ryde or Die, Vol. 1 entered at number one during spring 1999, reinforcing DMX's golden touch.

Near the end of 1999, DMX dropped his third album, ...And Then There Was X, marking his third consecutive project to open at number one. It yielded his strongest single since "Get at Me Dog," the track "Party Up," which became his initial Top Ten entry on the R&B/hip-hop chart. The follow-up releases "What You Want" and "What's My Name?" also gained traction, and their performance helped elevate ...And Then There Was X to DMX's top-selling album at the time, exceeding five million copies. Following his first two Grammy nominations, with ...And Then There Was X contending for Best Rap Album and "Party Up" for Best Rap Solo Performance, DMX returned to cinema in a prominent supporting part in the Jet Li action vehicle Romeo Must Die. His subsequent film, the Steven Seagal action picture Exit Wounds, debuted at number one at the box office. DMX supplied the hit single "No Sunshine" to its soundtrack and secured a multi-picture agreement with Warner Bros. amid the momentum.

DMX revisited the studio and finalized his fourth album, the more reflective The Great Depression. Released in fall 2001, it became his fourth straight number-one debut on the Billboard 200. Late in 2002, DMX released his memoirs under the title E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX and laid down several tracks with Audioslave, formerly Rage Against the Machine. One joint effort, "Here I Come," appeared on the soundtrack for DMX's following film, a reunion with Jet Li titled Cradle 2 the Grave. The movie topped the box office upon its March 2003 arrival, while its DMX-centric soundtrack entered the Top Ten. Grand Champ arrived six months afterward and prolonged the rapper's run of chart-topping albums. Year of the Dog...Again, DMX's final project via Ruff Ryders, surfaced three years later and peaked at number two. Just ahead of that album's launch, DMX's candid BET reality series, DMX: Soul of a Man, premiered. A compilation called Definition of X: The Pick of the Litter followed in June 2007.

Plagued by legal troubles in subsequent years, DMX resumed recording with 2012's Undisputed, a Seven Arts release featuring production from Swizz Beatz and J.R. Rotem that reached the Top 20. Seven Arts also issued his unofficial eighth LP, Redemption of the Beast, in early 2015, reportedly without contractual approval. The project prompted DMX to pursue legal measures against the label. DMX teamed with electronica artist Blackburner, also known as Skyla Talon, for Dog Eats Rabbit, which emerged in spring 2017 through the Cleopatra imprint. He continued releasing occasional singles into 2021. DMX experienced a heart attack and passed away one week afterward, on April 9, 2021, at age 50. Several weeks following his death, the arrival of his first posthumous album, Exodus, was confirmed. Issued in late May of 2021, the collection included appearances from Lil Wayne, Nas, Jay-Z, Bono, and numerous others.