One thing you can’t say about DMX, aka Earl Simmons, is that he had an easy life growing up. If rap music is an extension of one’s personality then there’s a reason why his sounded so angry at times since he went through an abusive childhood and was abandoned by his parents to live in group homes as a kid. That would be enough to break many people, but despite his many run-ins with the law and his insane child support payments that contributed to him going bankrupt at one point he’s managed to remain one of the most prominent rappers in the game. At this point he’s become very involved in his faith and is doing his best to keep on the straight and narrow. It’s kind of amusing in a way to see who used to be hardcore and tough and whether they still are or not in this day age. Some are, but they’ve put the life behind them for a chance at a peaceful existence.
Here are some of his songs that have been featured in movies and TV.
5. Shameless – X Gonna Give It To Ya
Throughout the entire show it’s hard to know just who to be annoyed by more since all of the Gallagher’s seem to have a certain hangup that they can’t get past, except Noah of course. Ian is a bit hard to take not because of his homosexuality, but because like his brother Lip he’s got a humongous chip on his shoulder about everything. Frank is an obvious one since nothing is ever his fault and everyone’s trying to conspire against him, but Fiona and Lip are perhaps the two worst since they have a real shot at being happy and their bad habits continually drag them back into the life they’re trying hard to get away from.
4. Cradle 2 the Grave – Go To Sleep
Jet Li kind of made a foray into the rap scene simply by being around DMX and starring with him in this film. It’s not a horrible film since the action sequences are very interesting and show some insane moves that could only be accomplished by wires and special effects, but it’s also something you have to realize was never going to be a blockbuster. Taking a highly-trained martial artist like Jet Li and putting him a film with a bunch of different people, several of whom might have little to no actual training, is kind of hard to fathom since in real life it seems like he would wade through most of these people without much effort.
3. Coach Carter – Untouchable
Coach Carter didn’t come just to coach, he came to teach the fundamentals of a game he loves to young men that needed his guidance. The Richmond Oilers were a team comprised of little more than thugs that knew how to play ball when he got there, but under his strict and unwavering guidance they finally learned what it was to play ball and to earn their respect in life. He had to get a bit physical with them at times and he even had to kick a couple of them off the team, but the main point he made was that basketball was a privilege, and it wasn’t the only route that these young men had in life.
2. Deadpool – X Gonna Give It To Ya
Deadpool has turned out to be one of the hottest antiheroes, don’t ever call him a hero after all, that has ever come out of Marvel, and that’s saying something since as far as the 90s go good guys were kind of hard to find. He’s not a perfect character, nowhere near that in fact, but he’s still insanely awesome because of it and because he practices the 4th wall break on a regular basis, speaking to the audience and letting clues about the film slip now intentionally now and again. He’s also awesome largely because he’s just unpredictable and is as likely to break into song and dance as he is to lop someone’s head off.
1. Fast and Furious – Ruff Ryders Anthem
Given that there are so many of them there’s really no need to pare it down to just one Fast and Furious movie when ascribing the Ruff Ryder’s Anthem to them. The mere fact that just about every one of these films have been awesome in some way is enough since throughout the franchise the ride has always been fast and the thrills have been plentiful. From one place to the next the films have delivered on a gripping story and furious ride that has taken the main characters in different directions at times but has managed to bring them back together no matter how difficult it might seem.
DMX is something of a legend in the rap game, and it would seem that he’s got his life on track at this point.
*Unfortunately DMX passed away at the age of 50 on Apr 9th 2021 due to a drug overdose.
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