Biography
Earl Simmons is the first of three children. He grew up in the housing projects on School Street, in Yonkers, New York. He began rapping around the age of 14[citation needed]. Simmons took the professional name DMX, after the Oberheim DMX, an early drum machine. He later adapted the name to mean "Divine Master of the Unknown [X]" and later changed it again to mean "Dark Man X" [1]. He honed his skills during a stint at a group home. As a teenager, Simmons was diagnosed with bipolar disorder [2]. He spent much of his adolescence and early adulthood in and out of jail.
On his BET show DMX: Soul of a Man he admitted that he had in fact became addicted to crack after one of his friends gave him a laced marijuana joint without telling him.
He has been married to Tashera since 1999. They have four children: Xavier, Tocoma, Shawn and Praise Mary Ella Simmons (b 18 April 05)[3].
From an interview with Just-Ice. http://www.jayquan.com/justice.htm Spring of 2005 with Troy L. Smith
Troy L. Smith: What up with DMX?
Just-Ice: I don’t know where Ben is at? I think he is in Jersey, I haven’t talked to him in years. Let them know there is three DMX’s. Davy DMX is the original. Then there was DMX my beat box. Then you have DMX who was then known as Dark Man X. That’s the brother who is making movies now, Earl Simmons.