He was arrested in 2008 on drug and animal cruelty charges following an overnight raid on his house in Phoenix. His addiction first took hold at age 14 when he smoked a marijuana cigarette laced with cocaine.ĭMX pleaded guilty in 2004 after he posed as an undercover federal agent and crashed his SUV through a security gate at New York’s Kennedy Airport. The rapper also starred in 2001′s Exit Wounds with Steven Seagal and 2003′s Cradle 2 the Grave with Li.įrom struggle to success: why DMX is one of hip-hop's most influential and loved artistsīut while DMX made his mark as one of hip-hop’s most recognisable names for his rap artistry and as an actor, the rapper was personally stifled by his legal battles – he was repeatedly arrested and jailed within a decade – and drug addiction. The rapper would later open Aaliyah's tribute music video, Miss You, alongside her other friends and collaborators, including Missy Elliott, Lil' Kim and Queen Latifah, after Aaliyah's 2001 death in a plane crash at age 22. DMX and Aaliyah teamed up for Come Back in One Piece on the film's soundtrack. He starred in the 1998 film Belly and appeared in 2000′s Romeo Must Die with Jet Li and Aaliyah. Ruff Ryders had success on the charts and on radio with its Ryde or Die compilation albums.Īlong with his musical career, DMX also became an actor. They were all part of rap crews, too: DMX fronted the Ruff Ryders collective, which helped launch the careers of Grammy winners Eve and Swizz Beatz, and relaunch The Lox, formerly signed to Bad Boy Records. AP PhotoĭMX arrived on the rap scene around the same time as Jay-Z, Ja Rule and others who dominated the charts and emerged as platinum-selling acts. The multiplatinum-selling album was anchored by several hits including Ruff Ryders' Anthem, Get At Me Dog, Stop Being Greedy and How It's Goin' Down.ĭMX'S ex-wife Tashera Simmons, left, and his fiancée Desiree Lindstrom embrace during a prayer vigil outside of White Plains Hospital, Monday, April 5, 2021, in White Plains. His lawyer, Murray Richman, had earlier said he could not confirm reports that DMX overdosed.ĭMX made a splash in rap music in 1998 with his first studio album It's Dark and Hell is Hot, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
The rapper, whose real name was Earl Simmons, had struggled with drug addiction since his teenage years.
He was taken there from his home April 2.Ī statement from relatives said he died “with his family by his side after being placed on life support for the past few days". The Grammy-nominated performer died after suffering "catastrophic cardiac arrest," according to the hospital in White Plains, New York, where he died. DMX, the raspy-voiced hip-hop artist who produced the songs Ruff Ryders' Anthem and Party Up (Up in Here) and who rapped with a trademark delivery that was often paired with growls, barks and "What!" as an ad-lib, has died, according to a statement from his family.