Download Free DMX Songs

DMX music biography continued...

Maryland, on December 18, 1970. He had a tough childhood and took to crime early in life, but found rap to be his salvation. He chose as his stage name, DMX, from the name for the digital drum machine and took to the clubs. After a false start with Columbia's Ruffhouse label, DMX earned a second shot with earned a second major-label shot, with Def Jam, following some touted guest appearances. In early 1998, he released his debut Def Jam single, "Get at Me Dog." The song was a gold-selling hit on the rap and dance charts and paved the way for DMX's full-length debut, It's Dark and Hell Is Hot, to debut at number one on the pop charts. He followed that album with Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood (1999) and ...And Then There Was X (2000), both of which debuted at the number one spot on the charts. Describing DMX's style, one critic said: "He could move from spiritual anguish one minute to a narrative about the sins of the streets the next, yet keep it all part of the same complex character, sort of like a hip-hop Johnny Cash." As a result, DMX was the first artist ever to have his first four albums debut at number one.



DMX then veered into acting, appearing in Romeo Must Die (2000, with Jet Li) and Exit Wounds (2001, with Steven Seagal). Soon after, DMX had several run-ins with the law and was actually incarcerated for a period. But when he got out of jail, he continued to record and perform, appearing in a reunion film with Jet Li, Cradle 2 the Grave, which opened at number one in 2003 and came out with a DMX heavy soundtrack that debuted in the Billboard Top Ten. He followed that up with Never Die Alone (2004, with Michael Ealy) and later released the album Grand Champ, followed by 2006's Year of the Dog... Again. Just prior to that album's release, his revealing BET reality program made its debut. DMX had come full circle, from the kid nobody wanted to the superstar whose life was coveted.