DMX: The Underdog

On April 9, 2021, DMX’s family announced that he had tragically passed away from a drug overdose. DMX, real name Earl Simmons, was extremely influential in the New York rap scene in the late 90s and early 2000s, with his impact on rap still being seen today. In this article, I will take a look back at his impressive career and appreciate all that he has done for rap and the world.

Born in 1970, DMX went through a childhood of poverty, living in and out of shelter homes, often stealing to get by. He spent his teenage years in and out of jail, where he passed the time writing lyrics. Once he was free in the late 80s, he started to sell mixtapes where he rapped over beats from already known hip-hop songs, which led to somewhat of a cult-following in New York. The city saw DMX as a young, 20 year-old underdog, a kid from the streets whom they could relate to. As his following grew in the early 90s, he was considered one of the best unsigned rappers by The Source magazine in 1991. All of his underground praise culminated in him being signed by Ruffhouse Records, which was owned by Columbia Records.

However, his signing to Ruffhouse Records didn’t quite make DMX a household name. Throughout the first half of the 90s, he released many singles and mixtapes that received praise and success, like the singles “Born Loser” and “Make A Move,” but nothing that made him into an iconic superstar. However, things started looking up when he got signed to Jay-Z’s Def Jam Records in 1996, and he immediately began recording songs for his debut album. In February 1998, DMX released his gold certified hit, “Get at Me Dog.” Now, DMX was looking for something that would really put him in the public eye. At this point, he had been rapping for well over a decade, and with his major label backing him, he needed his debut album to be perfect, or risk his career. Three months later he released his debut album, It’s Dark and Hell is Hot on May 12, 1998. 

Thankfully for him, he did make a perfect album, and the public adored it. It’s Dark and Hell is Hot made DMX into a household name, as it debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 and sold more than five million copies. Seven months later, off the success of his first album, DMX released his second album, Flesh of my Flesh, Blood of my Blood, in December 1998, which also initially landed at #1 on the Billboard Top 200. Exactly a year later, in December 1999, DMX released his third and most successful album, And Then There Was X, which, like his previous two albums, took the number one spot on the Billboard Top 200. This trilogy of albums truly made DMX into the legend he was. Singles like “X Gon’ Give It To Ya,” “Ruff Ryder’s Anthem,” and “Party Up” were absolutely everywhere in the early 2000s, and people in 2000 considered DMX a modern legend.

After DMX’s widespread popularity in 1998 and 1999, it would prove to be difficult to reach that same success with future endeavors. His next two albums, released in 2001 and 2003 were also Billboard #1 debuts, but did not receive the same commercial success as his first three albums. During this time, though, DMX released arguably his most iconic hit, “Where The Hood At”, which brought him back front-and-center in the 2000s rap scene. However, after his fifth album, DMX’s career took a dip during the rest of the 2000s, and he released a few more albums that didn’t see as much praise as his first three. His 3 albums released in the 2010’s received a similar lack of accolades.

This drop in popularity and presence in the public eye did not mean people didn’t still believe DMX was a legend, though. Unlike many rappers, he didn’t receive any disrespect for somewhat dropping off in popularity. His music was still iconic, but what’s also so notable about DMX was that people were fascinated with the man he was. The people still adored his underdog story, his harsh beginnings, and how he still overcame all of it and became a success. Many rappers have tried to replicate his “underdog” persona, but nobody has even come close to doing it as iconically as him. DMX died a certified legend in the rap game and an influencer of a generation.

AllMusic: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dmx-mn0000661795/biography

HipHop Scriptures: http://www.hiphopscriptures.com/dmx