Earl Simmons (born on December 18, 1970 in Mt. Vernon, New York), better known by his stage name DMX is an American rapper and actor who rose to popularity in the late 1990s. He is one of the best selling rappers of all time, though notably never having a top 20 Hot 100 single. He is also the only artist in the U.S. to have five consecutive number one albums on the Billboard 200 Album chart to start a career..