From the late-1990s through the early 2010s, DMX was the heavyweight champion of
hardcore rap, combining gangsta lyrics and a gruff vocal delivery into six
chart-topping studio albums. He was born as Earl Simmons in Mount Vernon, NY, on
December 18, 1970. A teenager with a violent, troubled past that included gang
activity, he began building an audience in New York thanks to his self-produced
mixtapes. Signed by Columbia in 1992, he released his debut single, "Born
Loser," the following year, yet failed to make much of an impression in a
hip-hop scene dominated by acts like 2Pac ...