DMX

Earl Simmons, known professionally as DMX, was an American rapper, songwriter, and actor. His accolades included an American Music Award, a Billboard Music Award, and six Grammy Award nominations.

Dark and Hell Is Hot didn't just announce DMX's arrival in 1998—it rewired what East Coast rap could sound like, all growls and biblical fury over Swizz Beatz's hammering production. As Ruff Ryders' cornerstone artist, X transformed the label from regional crew into a cultural force, dragging Jadakiss and The LOX along for the ride through a shared Yonkers bloodline that made the whole operation feel less like a business and more like a movement. Five consecutive #1 albums proved this wasn't novelty; he was operating in a different dimension than his peers, channeling street gospel through a voice that sounded like it came from somewhere darker than Brooklyn or the Bronx. His 2021 death robbed hip-hop of one of its most spiritually unhinged architects, someone who made vulnerability and rage inseparable.