Who

Earl Simmons—otherwise known DMX—is a rapper and actor with a tiny little problem with authority.

Backstory

Following an abusive childhood in Yonkers, DMX (it stands for "Dark Man X") spent his early years in and out of institutions for troubled kids, graduating to prison during his teens when he was jailed on robbery and drug charges. He started rapping on the streets of Yonkers, earning a record contract from Columbia Records at age 22—although he was dropped by the label soon after. He resurfaced a few years later as a founding member of the rap crew/record label Ruff Ryders (which also includes artists Eve and Jadakiss) and made his name in 1997 with his solo album It's Dark and Hell is Hot, which was released on Def Jam. He's followed up with five more albums, which have collectively sold more than 20 million copies. If only he could stay out of jail for long enough to enjoy his success.

Legal file

DMX has been in trouble since, well, forever: In the first grade, he stabbed a classmate in the face with a pencil and when his teacher intervened, he pummeled her, too. Alas, not much has changed. He earned his first drug-related conviction in the mid-1990s, was accused (but later cleared) of rape in 1998, and was arrested in 1999 when police turned up at his Teaneck home after a report of a shooting to find 13 neglected pit bulls and six crack pipes. (He later pled guilty to animal cruelty, disorderly conduct, and possession of drug paraphernalia.) He's kept celebrity defense attorney Murray Richman plenty busy since then. In 2004, he was arrested at JFK airport for impersonating an FBI agent after he'd allegedly tried to steal a car. Later, in April 2007, 12 pit bulls were seized from his property in Arizona. (When the cops searched the property, they found burned bodies of three other dogs, as well as a huge cache of illegal guns and half a pound of drugs.) He's been arrested every month of so since then, earning him the honorable distinction of having been busted by the cops more than any other hip hop star in history.

On the side

Like all household name rappers, DMX has his hands in the fashion business, presiding over a pair of clothing lines: the Earl Simmons Signature Collection and DMX Authentic. The rapper says that the collections offer "real clothing for real people." If you know any "real people" willing to spend $110 on a T-shirt with DMX's face emblazoned across it, please direct them to his website.

On screen

DMX has appeared in several films including 1998's Belly, co-starring fellow rappers Method Man and Nas, and 2001's Exit Wounds opposite Steven Seagal. In 2006, he was the subject of a BET reality show called Soul of a Man, which captured a day in the life of the mentally unbalanced rapper.

Grudge

Not surprisingly, DMX has sparred with some of his peers in the biz. Lately, he's been feuding with former collaborator Jay-Z. The rift began in 2006 when DMX left Def Jam, saying he couldn't "work under" Jay anymore. More recently, DMX slammed his former friend, saying that Jay is no longer "street" now that he's been photographed wearing flip-flops.

Personal

DMX's wife, Tashera, says she first saw Simmons when he was 11 and she 10—she claims that he was robbing an old lady at the time. They were introduced by friends eight years later and now have four kids: three boys named Xavier, Tocoma, and Shawn, and a daughter named Praise Mary Ella. In 2004, it was revealed he was the daddy of a three year-old living in Buffalo. And in 2005, a Maryland woman, Monique Wayne, successfully took him to court to establish that he was the father of her child, too; in response, DMX made the ludicrous claim that she'd raped him, and in 2008 a judge ordered him to pay Wayne $1.5 million for defaming her with that rape allegation.

Habitat

DMX lives in a mansion in the Westchester hamlet of Mount Kisco. He bought a Harlem brownstone for $750,000 in 2001 but never moved into the home and it was seized in 2008 as part of a legal dispute. He also has property in the Cave Creek neighborhood of Phoenix, Arizona.