Raised in Yonkers, New York, DMX — real name Earl Simmons — experienced a turbulent upbringing. He claimed his dad was absent and that his mom was abusive, which resulted in him shuffling in and out ...

Earl Simmons didn’t come out of the womb raging, growling and barking like a pitbull. That sound, the hard sound of DMX, was built on a childhood filled with abuse and brutality. It was fueled by the ...

DMX was a larger-than-life presence, but he contained multitudes as well. The legendary rapper, who died on April 9 at the age of 50 after suffering a heart attack one week prior, became the biggest ...