DMX (Earl Simmons) was born on December 18, 1970 is an American rapper and actor who rose to popularity in the late-1990s.

At the beginning the Dog (DarkManX) had already established a reputation on the underground scene long before any record label signed him. He battled rappers from town to town and had his own group called Gangsters of the Ghetto (G.O.G) with his best friend DJ Superior and Big Jinx the third member of the team.

They did a lot of live shows in the legendary school'12 and around Yonkers. This Crew created tons of mix CD's in the early 90's. Later Simmons was first signed to Columbia Records in 1992. He released one single, "Born Loser", which did not get much airplay.

He was soon dropped from the label. He linked up with Pete McCormick Schaub, an A&R for Small Island Records. Eventually, he signed a management deal with Ruff Ryders.

They negotiated deals with both Bad Boy and Death Row Records, but he eventually landed at Def Jam. He is currently at Sony BMG, and released his first of three albums, Year of the Dog...Again on August 1, 2006.

Rumors also arose that he had signed with 50 Cent's G-Unit Records, but those were dismissed in a public news conference.

After signing for Sony BMG, Simmons admitted that he was close to signing with Full Surface, which was founded by close friend and Ruff Ryders president Swizz Beatz. Simmons has started his own label, Bloodline Records.