Today In Hip Hop History: The Source Magazine Remembers DMX Three Years Later

dmx

On this date three years ago, the Hip Hop community took a tremendous loss with the tragic death of legendary rapper-actor Earl “DMX” Simmons, who died at White Plains Hospital in New York. He was 50 years old.

As one of the most revered emcees of the past 25 years, DMX’s filmography and discography is unmatched, with seven albums, dozens of television and film credits, three grammy Award nominations and an American Music Award under his belt. DMX gained his notoriety after appearing on the Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show, which caught the attention of The Source Magazine, who put X in the Unsigned Hype column. In the same year(1991), DMX signed to then unknown label Ruff Ryders Entertainment. After his friend, Irv Gotti, was given the position of President of A&R at Def Jam under Lyor Cohen, X signed to the legendary label in 1997.

Legal issues and substance abuse stunted DMX’s illustrious career despite his commercial success, with arrests ranging from drug possession to animal cruelty to impersonating a police officer. He managed to dodge prison time for all of his infractions due to his celebrity status, but his luck with the law ran out when X was convicted of tax fraud in 2018m which landed him in jail for one year.

X entered drug rehab several times since 2002, but his long term addiction overpowered him, finally losing his long-term battle with drugs after suffering a cocaine-induced heart attack o this date in 2021.

There will never be another DMX, who will forever have his name etched in stone as a part of Hip Hop history!

The post Today In Hip Hop History: The Source Magazine Remembers DMX Three Years Later first appeared on The Source.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: The Source Magazine Remembers DMX Three Years Later appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip Hop History: DMX Dropped His Third LP ‘…And Then There Was X’ 24 Years Ago

tumblr fb4fa8b935f21e7a5b8edaae1c56384b 8c92214c 500

On this date in 1999, rap phenomenon DMX released his third studio effort entitled …And Then There Was X on the Def Jam/Ruff Ryders imprint. With production from the likes of Harlem trendsetter Dame Grease, Swizz Beatz, and of course the Ruff Ryders’ generals Dee and Waah, this timeless classic went five-time platinum within a year and received a Grammy nod for Best Rap Album in 2001. It has been X’s best-selling album to date.

The sophomore single, which eventually catapulted to the album’s lead single, “Party Up (Up In Here), received the most acclaim, peaking at #27 on Billboard Hot 100, and was featured in several silver screen classics such as How High, Gone In 60 Seconds and Ghostbusters. The third, R&B-driven track, “What These Bitches Want?” featuring Sisqo, was one of the biggest hits in DMX’s career, which was a true-to-life confession of the women in his life.

Shout out to X, Dee, Waah, Swizz, Dame Grease, and the rest of Ruff Ryders squad who came together to bring us this piece of Hip Hop history!

The post Today In Hip Hop History: DMX Dropped His Third LP ‘…And Then There Was X’ 24 Years Ago first appeared on The Source.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: DMX Dropped His Third LP ‘…And Then There Was X’ 24 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.