Earl Simmons, better known by his stage name DMX, was born on December 18, 1970, in Mount Vernon, New York, to a family of musicians. He was reared by his mother, Arnett Simmons, who gave birth to him when she was just 19 years old and was the only provider for him.
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When Simmons was five years old, his family moved to Yonkers, New York, where he continued to live. In the Jehovah’s Witness community, he grew up in poverty and through a traumatic childhood. His mother and her partners were physically and verbally abusive to him.
Early years
Simmons was expelled from school in the fifth grade and placed in the Julia Dyckman Andrus Children’s Home, where he remained for more than one year. Years later, when he was a teenager, he returned to another boys’ home.
Simmons started creating hip-hop music at this point and performed for his pals at the same time as well. Soon after, Simmons caught up with local rapper Ready Ron. He was impressed by Simmons’ beatboxing abilities, and the two eventually became collaborators. In order to distinguish himself from the other guys, Simmons adopted the moniker “DMX,” which was inspired by an instrument he used to play at the boys’ house, the Oberheim DMX drum machine. After then, the moniker would be construed as “Dark Man X” as well.
What Was Dmx’s Net Worth at the Time of His Death?
$1 Million in monetary value
DMX was a rap artist and actor who was born in New York City. As a result of a succession of financial and legal problems, DMX died with a net worth of less than $1 million at the time of his death. Earl Simmons, as he is often called, became a household name with the publication of his first studio album in 1998. DMX went on to release seven studio albums and acted in a number of films throughout his career as a rapper.
His life was cut short by a series of incarcerations over the final decade of his life. The next year, he filed for bankruptcy, stating just $50,000 in assets and obligations ranging between $1 million and $10 million in value. The charges against him were filed in 2017, and he was found guilty on 14 counts of tax fraud, earning him a one-year prison term and a $2.3 million debt. More information on these difficulties is provided later in this article.
Tragically, DMX passed away on April 9, 2021, at the age of 50, as a result of complications resulting from a prescription medication overdose.
Success
The late 1990s were a watershed moment in DMX’s rap career. In 1998, he released his first studio album, It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, which was hailed with critical praise as well as economic success, selling 251,000 copies in its first week. To date, more than five million copies of the record have been sold.
His best-selling album,…And Then There Was X (1999), was released on December 21, 1999, barely one year after his debut. On the Billboard 200, the album debuted at number one, and it has since been certified six times Platinum. There are a number of successful tunes on the album, including “Party Up (Up in Here),” which is one of DMX’s greatest hit singles as well as his first Top Ten smash on the R&B charts.
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A few of his other well-known hits include “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” (1998), “What’s My Name?” (1999), “X Gon’ Give It to Ya” (2003), and “Where the Hood At?” (2004). (2003).
DMX has released a total of seven studio albums to date. Undisputed, his most recent album, was released on September 11, 2012, and is his first to have a female lead. The album got a mixed reception from reviewers, and it debuted at number 19 on the Billboard 200, selling 17,000 copies in its first week of availability. To date, DMX has sold more than 70 million records globally throughout the course of his professional career.
DMX won the Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist category at the American Music Awards in 2000 and 2001. He’s also been nominated for three Grammy Awards and five MTV Music Video Awards, among other honours and recognition.
He has also appeared in or had supporting parts in eight films, which is in addition to his rapping career. He has been in a number of direct-to-DVD films and had a cameo appearance in the 2014 film Top Five. In 2002, DMX released his autobiography, E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX, which was published by Random House.
Personal Life and a Tainted Reputation
Tashera Simmons, DMX’s wife, and he were married in 1999. The pair was married for 11 years and had four children together: Xavier, Tocoma, Praise Mary Ella, and Shawn. They divorced after the birth of their fourth child. Tashera and Tashera declared their split in the year 2010.
DMX was unfaithful to his wife throughout their marriage, and DNA testing revealed that he fathered at least two children as a consequence of his adulterous encounters. Following the discovery of DNA evidence that DMX was the father of Monique Wayne’s kid in 2007, he was forced to pay her $1.5 million.
DMX is the father to a total of fifteen children. (His youngest kid, Exodus Simmons, was born on August 16, 2016, to his girlfriend, Desiree Lindstrom, and his father, David Simmons.)
DMX has been outspoken about his crack cocaine use in the past. He started taking the substance when he was 14 years old, after smoking a cigarette that had been laced with marijuana. He also claims to be suffering from bipolar illness.
In 2016, he was discovered unconscious in the parking lot of a Ramada Inn in Yonkers. Emergency personnel performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him and administered Narcan before transporting him to the hospital. No illicit drugs were discovered by police, however a witness said that DMX had consumed some kind of narcotic before falling on the premises. In his defence, DMX claimed that it was the result of an asthma attack.
In April 2021, DMX experienced a heart attack that was purportedly caused by a drug overdose, which resulted in his being placed in a coma for the rest of the month. Tragically, he passed away on April 9, 2021, when he was 50 years old.
Problems in the Legal and Financial Spheres
DMX has spent time in prison on many occasions. His many arrests have been for a variety of charges, including resisting arrest, animal cruelty, reckless driving, unlicensed driving, narcotics possession, and identity fabrication, among others.
In late July 2013, DMX filed for bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan. He claimed to have around $50,000 in assets and between $1 million and $10 million in debt to a variety of creditors, according to his application. He claimed that he had a higher priority claim because of child support responsibilities.
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(Among his obligations was $1.24 million in back child support payments.) DMX’s attorney issued a statement in which he claimed that the rapper’s debts had prevented him from acquiring a passport for several years.
A debt restructuring would allow DMX to resume touring in Europe, where he still has a large following, and restructured loans would allow him to return to the United States. The filing was contested and ultimately rejected later that year by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.
Summary
A total of 14 charges of tax fraud were filed against DMX in 2017, for a total of about $1.7 million in damages. In March 2018, he was found guilty of tax evasion and sentenced to one year in jail. He was freed from prison in January 2019, but he still owing the Internal Revenue Service $2.3 million at the time of his release. The government will garnish his wages until the debt is paid in full, and he will be required to make monthly payments to satisfy the amount.