Earl Simmons (born December 18, 1970), better known by his stage names DMX and Dark Man X, is an American rapper and actor. In 1999, DMX released his best-selling album ...And Then There Was X, which featured the hit single "Party Up (Up in Here)". He has acted in films such as Belly, Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds, Cradle 2 The Grave, and Last Hour. In 2006, he starred in the reality television series DMX: Soul of a Man, which was primarily aired on the BET cable television network. In 2003, DMX published a book of his memoirs entitled, E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX. DMX has sold over 30 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling hip-hop artists of all time. DMX was born Earl Simmons in Mount Vernon and was raised in Yonkers, New York. Simmons went through an abusive childhood that included stays at group homes and frequent arrests. DMX began his music career in 1988 as a beatboxer. In 1991, Gabriel Grevenstuk from The Source magazine praised DMX in his "Unsigned ...