Regarded as an influential figure in the late 1990s and one of the greats of hip hop,[4] his music is characterized by his "aggressive" rapping style,[5] with lyrical content varying from hardcore themes to prayers.

After an unsuccessful tenure on Columbia Records, he signed with Ruff Ryders Entertainment in a joint venture with Def Jam Recordings to release his debut studio album, It's Dark and Hell Is Hot (1998), which was met with critical and commercial success—selling 251,000 copies in its first week and spawning the Billboard Hot 100-top 20 single, "Ruff Ryders Anthem".

[8] DMX became the first artist to have their first five albums consecutively debut atop the Billboard 200, and by his death on April 9, 2021, he had sold over 75 million records worldwide.

[1][15] Due to poor grades at Yonkers Middle High School, Simmons was unable to finish his track and field team schedule.

After some time, he realized Ron was becoming more prominent on the scene, so he decided to start rapping himself under the name "DMX"—an initialism for "Divine Master Of the Unknown" and later "Darkman X".

[1] After serving a two-year prison sentence, he began writing his own lyrics and performing at the local recreation center for younger children.

[1] In January 1994, Death Row Records attempted to sign the rapper in a joint venture with Ruff Ryders, although this never materialized.

[30] Def Jam released another compilation album in 2010 titled The Best of DMX, which features hit singles including "Where the Hood At?"

[34] During a performance at New York's Santos Party House on December 25, 2011, DMX stated that the new album would be titled Undisputed and would be released on March 26, 2012.

After numerous delays,[35][36] the album was eventually released on September 11, 2012, and featured production from Swizz Beatz and J.R. Rotem with a guest appearance by MGK.

DMX would also go on to throw shots at Ja Rule in his song "Do You" from Funkmaster Flex's mixtape The Mix Tape, Vol.

In 2002, DMX released his diss track "They Want War" on DJ Kay Slay's mixtape Streetsweepers Presents The Regulator Pt.

[77] Ja Rule never responded directly but he went on to diss DMX in his songs "Fuck With Us" and "Connected" from his album The Last Temptation.

The next year DMX would take shots at Ja Rule in the song "Go To Sleep" with Eminem and Obie Trice from the Cradle 2 The Grave soundtrack.

[119] DMX was originally free pending sentencing but was remanded to jail in January 2018 after leaving a drug treatment program ordered by the court and relapsing with cocaine and oxycodone.

[121] Simmons claimed he became addicted to crack cocaine when he was 14 years old, after Ready Ron tricked him into smoking a marijuana cigarette laced with the drug.

[126] On April 2, 2021, at approximately 11:00pm,[129] Simmons was rushed to White Plains Hospital, where he was reported to be in critical condition following a heart attack at his home possibly resulting from a drug overdose.

[140][141] On the morning of April 9, 2021, Simmons lost functionality in multiple essential organs, reportedly his liver, kidneys, and lungs,[142] and was pronounced dead shortly after, at age 50.

It was revealed on July 8 by the Westchester County Medical Examiner's Office that Simmons's official cause of death was a heart attack.

[143][144] "Throughout his nearly three-decade career, DMX came to embody passion, rawness, and pure emotional honesty like few hip-hop artists ever have, barking his way through hits like "Ruff Ryders' Anthem" and "Get at Me Dog" one moment, and repenting and philosophizing on tracks like "Slippin'" the next.

"[145] Various celebrities paid tribute through outlets like social media including former NFL player Torrey Smith, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Eminem, Gabrielle Union (who co-starred with DMX in the 2003 film Cradle 2 the Grave, along with Jet Li (who also paid tribute)), Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean,[146] Wyclef Jean,[147] Swizz Beatz (who DMX collaborated with including on the hit single, "Ruff Ryders' Anthem"),[148] Eve and Missy Elliott.

[149][150][151] Other tributors included Kelly Rowland, Chris Brown, Lil Durk, Big Sean, Polo G, Metro Boomin, The Weeknd, T.I., Jim Jones, Busta Rhymes, Viola Davis, Mary J. Blige, Al Sharpton, Angie Martinez, Ciara, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and various others.

A procession of hundreds of motorcyclists, in homage to the hip-hop collective Ruff Ryders, rode from DMX's birthplace of Yonkers, New York to Barclays Center.

People who were in attendance included Nas, Lil Kim, Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz as well as the pastor of the church, Reverend A.R.

There was some controversial testimonies like former Def Jam chief Lyor Cohen, when his video featured an overhead view of a beach and explained how Earl Simmons was a wonderful man while DMX was a gremlin.

Additionally, Def Jam cofounder Russell Simmons compared his own issues with drug abuse to DMX via video.

[159][160] On June 28, 2021, his music was represented by former Def Jam labelmate Method Man, close friend Swizz Beatz, Busta Rhymes and actor Michael K. Williams (who himself would pass away five months later) at the BET Awards 2021.

[161][162] Divine Master of the Unknown is the final artistic project by rapper DMX, originally titled Heavy Lies the Crown.

[168] His early work was vastly different from most mainstream hip hop music at the time; while Puff Daddy and other artists of the Bad Boy Records label were at the height of popularity, characterized by their "big-budget videos, lavish party-throwing, and dancefloor-ready music", DMX achieved success with a more dark, aggressive, "rugged",[168] less "marketable" style.

According to an Apple Music radio host: "It was a complete 180...Puff was controlling the clubs; you were watching Bad Boy Records pop bottles, wear Rolexes, Jesus pieces, Coogi sweaters.