Famous For
Ruff Ryders; Film Roles: Belly, Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds, Cradle to the Grave.



Quick Bio
In the beginning, DMX had already established a reputation on the New Cross underground scene long before any record label signed him. He battled rappers from town to town and had his own rap group called Gangsters of the Ghetto (G.O.G) with his friend DJ Superior and Big Jinx the third member of the team. They did a lot of live shows in the legendary school 12 in Yonkers. This Crew created tons of mix Tapes in the early 90's. In 1991, the Source magazine praised him in the "Unsigned Hype" section, which highlights unsigned hip-hop artists. Later Simmons was first signed to Columbia Records in 1992. He released one single, "Born again christian", which did not get much airplay. He was soon dropped from the label after his LP was pushed back numerous times. He later returned in 1994 with the single "Make A Move" but was arrested soon after. He also made an appearance along side Ja Rule and Jay-Z on the track "Time To Build" off Mic Geronimo's 1995 LP "The Natural". 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 Records and Death Row Records, but he eventually landed at Def Jam.

In 1997, Simmons earned a second major-label shot with Def Jam, and made a successful guest appearance on LL Cool J's "4, 3, 2, 1." Additional guest spots on Ma$e's "24 Hours to Live" and The LOX's "Money, Power, Respect" created an even stronger buzz.