DMX: From Baltimore to NYC Streets to Rap Star - Essay Sample

Introduction

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, DMX is an American rapper and actor. His birth name is Earl Simmons, and he was born on 18th December 1970. While still young, he moved with his mother to New York. He got his stage name DMX from the DMX digital drum machine. The initials DMX also stand for Dark Man X. during his childhood, he was a violent and abusive boy, eventually turning him a criminal who would survive in the streets through crimes such as robbery ("DMX: Biography & History"). With this kind of life, he was caught on the wrong side of the low many times and would spend time in and out of juvenile prisons and group homes. He was also a street-level drug dealer where he would occasionally find it easier to rob from his suppliers earning himself more trouble on the streets. Despite these challenges, DMX believed that one day, hip-hop would help him escape the street life. ("DMX Biography") He started as a DJ before moving to hip-hop in the early 1990s. However, he did not leave his criminal past as he has severally been caught on the wrong side of the law ever since. This critique essay will address things that DMX could have done differently after his transition to the music industry.

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After the beginning of his hip-hop career, DMX has been arrested and charged for crimes such as possession of drugs, driving offences, among others. One of the driving offences that he has committed multiple times is driving without a license (Servantes 2018). To highlight a few of his driving offences, in March 2000, he was arrested for traffic violations. He was also found to be driving with a suspended permit and possession of marijuana. He pleaded guilty but avoided jail for many months only to turn himself in two weeks after an arrest warrant was issued (Servantes 2018). These are crimes that he could have avoided.

In 2002, he was arrested in Los Angeles, California, for reckless driving, but it took him ten years to turn himself in for this offence. He served a 90 days sentence (Servantes, 2018). In 2004, he was arrested at JFK airport for reckless driving and endangerment. During the arrest, he posed as an FBI agent, which is another offence (Reuters News Service 2011). In December of the same year, a few weeks after being prosecuted for his last driving offence, he was arrested speeding and driving an unregistered vehicle avoidable crimes that would later earn him 70days in jail. (Servantes 2018). He has been arrested other multiple times after this for offences relating to driving, all of which he could have avoided if he chooses to.

In 2008, DMX faced animal cruelty charges where he was alleged to have abused some puppies. A carcass of a dog that appeared to have been burnt was also found partially buried on his property, according to the office (CNN 2008). The sheriff also noted that a person with such kind of money and fame should not fail to provide good care to such animals. During the search warrant, which led to the animal cruelty charges, weapons and drugs were also found on the premises leading to more charges. Before this, he had also faced another animal cruelty charge in 1999, although they were later dropped after he accepted responsibility (CNN 2008). Just like the driving offences, these are crimes that he would have avoided if he wanted to.

Besides his lapping career and criminal life, DMX was married to Tashera Simmons for more than 10years, and together they had four children. The marriage was troubled because the husband would be in and out of prison to many times. It was revealed that the artiste had sired multiple children outside their marriage. Tashera also claimed that on the course of their wedding, she endured much verbal abuse from her husband (Penn 2012). To criticise DMX's character in the marriage, if he did not have extramarital affairs, if he did not verbally abuse his wife as accused, if he did not commit all the other crimes, maybe the marriage would not have resulted in a divorce. Still, on the issue of family, he has been arrested for failure to pay child support ("Rapper DMX Arrested for Failure to Pay Child Support"). If he were paying his child support dues, he would not have been arrested.

In 2017, the rapper was charged with fourteen counts related to tax fraud, amounting to $1.7 million. The charges claimed that between 2002 and 2005, the rapper did not pay taxes after earning much money through performances and musical recordings. In 2005, when the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tried to collect taxes from DMX, the situation worsened. He started using cash to pay for his expenses and also avoided personal bank accounts. He would even use bank accounts of his business managers to pay for his expenses or open bank accounts with other people's names (Wood, 2017). If DMX was found guilty of all the charges, it was clear that he would have earned himself more than 40years of prison time.

In some of the charges, prosecutors claimed that the tax evasion was not a matter of forgetting to pay his taxes, but he willfully avoided paying tax. For instance, they claimed that at one time, he refused to tape a television show after receiving a paycheck, which had the taxes deducted until the paycheck was replaced with a one that did not cut the taxes (Wood, 2017). Clearly, this shows that he willingly avoided tax. In November 2017, the rapper stroke a plea deal to one count of tax evasion ("DMX Strikes Plea Deal in Tax Evasion Case"). His initial more than 40 years of prison time if found guilty of all charges, was now reduced to a maximum of 5 years.

The case was determined the following year, whereby, the judge said that he believed that DMX was a good man and that his sentence would be modest (Pierson 2018). He received a year sentence. Before the sentence, DMX apologised for evading tax. His lawyers also argued that his difficult life as a child made it challenging for the rapper when it comes to dealing with the responsibility that comes with financial success (Pierson 2018). However, considering all the troubles he has put himself into for all those years, he can do better and stay out of trouble if he wants to.

During his trial for tax fraud cases, DMX had initially been released on bail. However, in January 2018, his bail was revoked after failing a drug test and travelling out of the state without the court's knowledge ("DMX Violates Tax Evasion Bail Bond and Jail Looms"). If he did not choose to violate the bail terms, he would have had a few months of freedom before his sentence.

Throughout his life, after making his way out of the streets, DMX has had much success in his rapping career. He has earned a lot of millions of dollars enough money to keep him out of all the troubles that he has caused through breaking the law. Some people argue that he has found himself on the wrong side of the law due to his difficult life as a child. To some extent, his childhood life has contributed to his criminal life, but considering his success in the music industry, he could do better if he wanted. His money and wealth are enough to pay advisors who would guide him to stay on the right side of the law. However, he has chosen to break the law as much as it suits him.

Works Cited

CNN. "Rapper DMX Held on Animal Cruelty, Drug Charges - CNN.com." CNN International - Breaking News, US News, World News and Video, 2008, edition.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/05/09/dmx.dogs/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2019.

D'Andrea, Niki. "The DMX Rap Sheet: Arrested in Phoenix (again)." Phoenix New Times, 21 Jan. 2019, www.phoenixnewtimes.com/music/the-dmx-rap-sheet-arrested-in-phoenix-again-6619318. Accessed 11 Oct. 2019.

"DMX Biography - Hip Hop Scriptures." Hip Hop Scriptures, www.hiphopscriptures.com/dmx. Accessed 11 Oct. 2019.

"DMX Sentenced to One Year in Prison for Tax Evasion." Spin, 28 Mar. 2018, www.spin.com/2018/03/dmx-prison-sentence-tax-evasion/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2019.

"DMX Strikes Plea Deal in Tax Evasion Case." TMZ, 30 Nov. 2017, www.tmz.com/2017/11/30/dmx-plea-deal-tax-evasion-case/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2019.

"DMX Violates Tax Evasion Bail Bond and Jail Looms." TMZ, 9 Aug. 2017, www.tmz.com/2017/08/09/dmx-violated-bail-tax-evasion-travel-out-of-state/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2019.

"Dmx." Encyclopedia.com | Free Online Encyclopedia, www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/dmx. Accessed 11 Oct. 2019.

"DMX." WBSS Media, wbssmedia.com/artists/detail/3181. Accessed 11 Oct. 2019.

Huey, Steve. "DMX | Biography & History." AllMusic, www.allmusic.com/artist/dmx-mn0000661795/biography. Accessed 11 Oct. 2019.

Penn, Charli. "DMX's Wife: Why I'm Divorcing Him." Essence, 12 June 2012, www.essence.com/news/tashera-simmons-why-im-really-done-with-dmx/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2019.

Pierson, Brendan. "Rapper DMX Sentenced to One Year in Prison for Tax Fraud." U.S, 28 Mar. 2018, www.reuters.com/article/us-people-dmx/rapper-dmx-sentenced-to-one-year-in-prison-for-tax-fraud-idUSKBN1H43DJ. Accessed 11 Oct. 2019.

"Rapper DMX Arrested for Failure to Pay Child Support." USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2015, www.usatoday.com/story/life/nation-now/2015/10/28/dmx-child-support-arrest/74768980/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2019.

Reuters News Service. "DMX Accused of Pretending to Be FBI Agent to Steal Car." Houston Chronicle, www.chron.com/entertainment/article/DMX-accused-of-pretending-to-be-FBI-agent-to-1971615.php. Accessed 11 Oct. 2019.

Robert W. Wood. "DMX Tax Fraud Guilty Plea Cut 44 Year Prison Exposure To 5 Years." Forbes, 4 Dec. 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2017/12/04/dmx-tax-fraud-guilty-plea-cut-44-year-prison-exposure-to-5-years/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2019.

Servantes, Ian. "A Complete History of DMX's Driving Arrests." Complex, 25 2013, www.complex.com/sports/2013/06/a-complete-history-of-dmxs-driving-arrests/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2019.