History Music / DMX

* GutturalGrowler: One of his biggest trademarks is his signature gruff voice, accompanied with his occasional barks.

* VocalEvolution: Prior to 1994, DMX lacked his signature GutturalGrowler voice in his [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdE_js-6Y8A raps]].

He additionally acted on occasion, with his most high-profile acting roles being in films including ''Film/{{Belly}}'' (opposite Music/{{Nas}}), ''Film/RomeoMustDie'', and ''Film/Cradle2TheGrave'' (opposite Creator/JetLi).

On April 2, 2021, Simmons, who had been candid about his battles with drug addiction, relapsed and was hospitalized from an overdose-induced heart attack. He was reportedly in a vegetative state, and was placed on life support. After a week of his condition deteriorating, he died of multiple organ failure on April 9. He was 50.

He attracted controversy for his songs' constant uses of the words [[ClusterFBomb "fuck"]] and [[NWordPrivileges "nigga"]], their rampant sexism and homophobia[[note]]The heavy homophobia in many of his early songs did not prevent him from [[https://www.miaminewtimes.com/music/dmxs-concert-at-house-nightclub-was-every-bit-as-bizarre-as-youd-imagine-8459642 unknowingly performing at an LGBT nightclub]].[[/note]], his extensive arrest record, and his tendencies to feud with or diss other rappers publicly, especially {{Music/Drake}}. He became famous for not hiding any of these controversies from the public, having no problem openly talking about them. He also fathered a record fifteen children from nine different women.

He additionally acted on occasion, with his most high-profile acting roles being in films including ''Film/{{Belly}}'' (opposite Creator/{{Nas}}), ''Film/RomeoMustDie'', and ''Film/Cradle2TheGrave'' (opposite Creator/JetLi).

On April 2, 2021, Simmons, who had been candid about his battles with drug addiction, relapsed and was hospitalized from an overdose-induced heart attack. He was reportedly in a vegetative state, and was placed on life support. After a week of his condition increasingly deteriorating, he died of multiple organ failure on April 9. He was 50.

DMX was widely known for his harsh, gravelly voice, the frequent call-and-response lyrics used in his songs, and his extremely violent subject matter. His early life was extremely painful, with abusive parents, and a drug addiction starting from age 14 that haunted him all his life. The addiction began when he was tricked into smoking crack by his older musical mentor.

His songs attracted controversy for their constant [[ClusterFBomb Cluster F-Bombs]] and NWordPrivileges, rampant sexism and homophobia [[note]] The heavy homophobia in many of his early songs did not prevent him from [[https://www.miaminewtimes.com/music/dmxs-concert-at-house-nightclub-was-every-bit-as-bizarre-as-youd-imagine-8459642 unknowingly performing at an LGBT nightclub]] [[/note]], and his extensive arrest record. He fathered a record fifteen children from nine different women. He had no problems feuding or dissing other rappers publicly, especially {{Music/Drake}}. He became famous for not hiding any of these controversies from the public, and openly airing and even talking about them.

Yet at the same time, DMX was revered as one of the greatest rappers in the genre's history for his ability to put his personal pain into song. Him not hiding his 'dark side' from the public led to many admiring him for his honesty and being unafraid of the media. He performed regular charity work. He was celebrated for refusing to leave his New York street roots, always emphasizing them in song, and rarely surrounding himself with jewelry and fine clothes.

Despite the gritty themes of his songs, DMX was a devout Christian all his life. He mixed in spiritual themes of redemption, hope, and love as much as he put violence and hostility into his songs so regularly that it was common to have lyrics which were prayer tracks themselves, and he could easily go from singing dark, hardcore pieces to gospels at the drop of a hat. He had a huge female fanbase among rappers for being a handsome WalkingShirtlessScene. With their raw content and themes of anguish and agony, his intensely emotional songs won millions of fans, many awards, and respect from famous musicians worldwide.

He occasionally acted, with his most high-profile acting role being ''Film/Cradle2TheGrave'' opposite Creator/JetLi.

He ''loved'' dogs, his levels of obsession ranging from owning a succession of beloved pets to [[{{UsefulNotes/Otherkin}} identifying as a dog himself]], frequently barking and growling in his songs, and even eating dog food.

On April 2, 2021, Simmons, who had been candid about his battles with drug addiction, relapsed, and was hospitalized from an overdose-induced heart attack. He was reportedly in a vegetative state, and was placed on life support. After a week of his condition increasingly deteriorating, he died of multiple organ failure on April 9. He was 50.

* DreamTeam: His collaboration with Eminem.

His songs attracted controversy for their constant [[ClusterFBomb Cluster F-Bombs]] and NWordPrivileges, rampant sexism and homophobia [[note]] The heavy homophobia in many of his early songs did not prevent him from [[https://www.miaminewtimes.com/music/dmxs-concert-at-house-nightclub-was-every-bit-as-bizarre-as-youd-imagine-8459642 willingly performing at an LGBT nightclub]] [[/note]], and his extensive arrest record. He fathered a record fifteen children from nine different women. He had no problems feuding or dissing other rappers publicly, especially {{Music/Drake}}. He became famous for not hiding any of these controversies from the public, and openly airing and even talking about them.

Earl Simmons (December 18, 1970 - April 9, 2021), more widely known by his stage name DMX, was a rapper and actor from Yonkers, New York. The name DMX was originally not an acronym, but simply part of a name taken from a popular drum machine of TheNineties, the Oberheim DMX. However, in some of his pre-Ruff Ryders recordings, it stood for "Divine Master of the [[LetXBeTheUnknown Unknown]]", as adapted from the [[https://genius.com/Nation-of-gods-and-earths-supreme-alphabet-annotated Supreme Alphabet]] of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-Percent_Nation Five Percent Nation]], before Simmons eventually settled on what would become the most famous version of the acronym: "Dark Man {{X|tremeKoolLetterz}}," with X retaining its "unknown" meaning.

-->--'''Website/{{Cracked}}.com''', "[[http://www.cracked.com/article_18586_the-7-most-impossible-rock-stars-to-deal-with.html The 7 Most Impossible Rock Stars To Deal With]]"

Yet at the same time, DMX was revered as one of the greatest rappers in the genre's history for his ability to put his personal pain into song. Him not hiding his 'dark side' from the public led to many admiring him for his honesty, and being unafraid of the media. He performed regular charity work, and was celebrated for refusing to leave his New York street roots, always emphasizing them in song, and rarely surrounding himself with jewelry and fine clothes.

A devout Christian, DMX mixed in spiritual themes of redemption, hope, and love as much as he put violence and hostility into his songs so regularly that it was common to have lyrics which were prayer tracks themselves, and he could easily go from singing dark, hardcore pieces to gospels at the drop of a hat. He had a huge female fanbase among rappers for being a handsome WalkingShirtlessScene. With their raw content and themes of anguish and agony, his intensely emotional songs won millions of fans, many awards, and respect from famous musicians worldwide.

* MoralDissonance: DMX will go from gangster raps about committing murder to what are essentially ''gospels'' within the same album.

->"''Musicians often put on an exaggerated persona when on stage to make themselves seem more legitimate to the audience. Whether it's bragging about the number of women they lay or the fineness of the Maseratis they drive, this kind of casual exaggeration is perhaps most common in hip-hop artists.''

->''DMX, on the other hand, is not in any way exaggerating when he describes being a bad, bad man in his songs.''"

* AbusiveParents: His mother starved him and abandoned him in a group home.

* DarkAndTroubledPast: He did ''not'' have a good upbringing. Most devastatingly, he was forced into his drug addiction at age 14 against his will.
* DisappearedDad: His father left him and his mom to take care of themselves.

* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Well, not his actual mother, [[AbusiveParents and for good reason]]; rather, his grandmother, who loved him dearly and his mutual feelings encouraged him to write the aptly-named "I Miss You" in her honour.

* FosterKid: Lived in group homes and foster homes for a while after his mother abandoned him.

* HairTriggerTemper: [[SarcasmMode If his arrest record and his music wasn't evidence enough]].

** X actually grew up very detached from people due to his rough upbringing. His only real friends were stray dogs.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: A common criticism of him was his extremely homophobic lyrics.

Earl Simmons (born December 18, 1970 - April 9, 2021), more widely known by his stage name DMX, was a rapper and actor from Yonkers, New York. The name DMX was originally not an acronym, but simply part of a name taken from a popular drum machine of TheNineties, the Oberheim DMX. However, in some of his pre-Ruff Ryders recordings, it stood for "Divine Master of the [[LetXBeTheUnknown Unknown]]", as adapted from the [[https://genius.com/Nation-of-gods-and-earths-supreme-alphabet-annotated Supreme Alphabet]] of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-Percent_Nation Five Percent Nation]], before Simmons eventually settled on what would become the most famous version of the acronym: "Dark Man [[XtremeKoolLetterz X]]," with X retaining its "unknown" meaning.

* ChristmasSongs: ''He actually recorded a straight-faced cover of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer''. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJrbSzSj3bg we're not joking at all]].

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: "Party Up (Up in Here)" is pretty much this in song form, along with hints of MurderBallad (such as the stanza "Listen, yo ass is about to be missing / You know who's gonna find ya? Some old man fishin' / Grandma's wishin' your soul was at rest / But it's hard to digest with the size of the hole in your chest.").

On April 2, 2021, DMX, who had been candid about his battles with drug addiction, relapsed, and was hospitalized from an overdose-induced heart attack. He was reportedly in a vegetative state, and was placed on life support. After a week of his condition increasingly deteriorating, his family made the decision to pull him off life support on April 9. He was 50.

Earl Simmons (born December 18, 1970 - April 9, 2021), more widely known by his stage name DMX, was a rapper and actor from Yonkers, New York. The name DMX was originally not an acronym, but simply part of a name taken from a popular drum machine of TheNineties, the Oberheim DMX. However, the acronym has come to stand for "Dark Man [[XtremeKoolLetterz X]]," with X meaning "[[LetXBeTheUnknown unknown]]".

DMX was widely known for his harsh, gravelly voice, the frequent call-and-response lyrics used in his songs, and his extremely violent subject matter. His early life was extremely harsh, with abusive parents, and a drug addiction starting from age 14 that haunted him all his life. The addiction began when he was tricked into smoking crack by his older musical mentor.

* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: ''The Great Depression'''s "I Miss You" is an ode to his late grandmother.
* EvilDetectingDog: In "Damien II", a dog is terrified of and barking at the mysterious man who is later revealed to be the Devil.

His songs attracted controversy for their constant [[ClusterFBomb Cluster F-Bombs]] and NWordPrivileges, rampant sexism and homophobia [[note]] The heavy homophobia in many of his early songs did not prevent him from [[https://www.miaminewtimes.com/music/dmxs-concert-at-house-nightclub-was-every-bit-as-bizarre-as-youd-imagine-8459642 willingly performing at an LGBT nightclub]] [[/note]], and his extensive arrest record. He fathered a record fifteen children from nine different women. He became famous for not hiding any of these controversies from the public, and openly airing and even talking about them.

DMX was widely known for his harsh, gravelly voice, the frequent call-and-response lyrics used in his songs, and his extremely violent subject matter. His early life was extremely harsh, with abusive parents, and a drug addiction starting from age 14 that haunted him all his life.

* ChristmasSongs: *He actually recorded a straight-faced cover of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer*. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJrbSzSj3bg we're not joking at all]].

He loved dogs, his levels of obsession ranging from owning a succession of beloved pets to [[{{UsefulNotes/Otherkin}} identifying as a dog himself]], frequently barking and growling in his songs and even eating dog food.

A devout Christian, DMX mixed in spiritual themes of redemption, hope, and love as much as he put violence and hostility into his songs, and could easily go from singing dark, hardcore pieces to gospels at the drop of a hat. He had a huge female fanbase among rappers for being a handsome WalkingShirtlessScene. With their raw content and themes of anguish and agony, his intensely emotional songs won millions of fans, many awards, and respect from famous musicians worldwide.