Earl Simmons (born December 18, 1970), better known by his stage name DMX, is an American entertainer, who rose to fame in the late 1990s. His stage name stands for Dark Man X, the name he used when he first started rapping in 1990. To date, his best-selling album was his 1999 album And Then There Was X, which featured the hit single "Party Up (Up in Here)". As an actor, he also starred in the films Belly, Exit Wounds, Cradle 2 The Grave, Romeo Must Die and Last Hour, and his own reality television series Soul of a Man on the American cable television network BET. In 2002, DMX wrote an autobiographical book titled E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX. He also has an extensive arrest record. He has sold over 28 million albums worldwide.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, DMX relocated early in his childhood with some family members to Yonkers, a city just north of New York City. He spent much time on the streets committing crime. However, he considered hip hop to be an escape from his hard times, as he enjoyed beatboxing, turntablism, and eventually rapping. As a teenager, Simmons was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. and spent much of his adolescence in and out of jail.

In 1991, Benjamin Saleznow from The Source magazine praised him in his "Unsigned Hype" column that highlighted unsigned hip-hop artists. Later, he was signed to the Columbia Records subsidiary Ruffhouse in 1992; under that label he released his debut single "Born Loser", which did not get much airplay. However, Ruffhouse promoted many other artists on its roster rather than DMX and so agreed to release him from his contract eventually. In 1994, he released a second single, "Make a Move", followed by a guest spot on Mic Geranimo's "Time To Build" along with a young Jay-Z and Ja Rule.