Can DMX Be Saved?
 Monday, July 21st, 2008  by Connie T.

How sad. On Saturday night we were watching Anderson Silva make his light heavyweight debut with the UFC against James Irvin. As Anderson Silva came out, he used "Ain't No Sunshine" by DMX. (Incidentally, it took Silva only 61 seconds to knock out his opponent.)

And we got to thinking what an unfortunate thing it is, that's happened to Earl Simmons, better known by his stage name as rapper DMX.

Such a talent he is: one of the best-selling rap musicians of all time, with over 20 million records sold and five consecutive albums that debuted at #1 on the charts; and a successful dabble as an actor, even.

No sooner did these thoughts cross our mind than we read the news that DMX was arrested again that very day, this time for identity theft for giving a fake name and Social Security number at a hospital because he's failed to pay $7,500 in medical expenses.

That's right: one of the best-selling rappers of all time is being hounded by medical bills...how American. But that's hardly the beginning.

In 1999 both DMX and his wife were arrested on gun and drug paraphernalia charges after police searched his New Jersey home. A year later, DMX was arrested for operating a vehicle without a license, speeding, possession of marijuana, and various other minor things like failure to notify the DMV of an address change.

In 2007, one of the most notorious charges came upon DMX, when a raid of his Arizona home turned up over a dozen dead pit bulls.

There have been other charges in between: cocaine possession, criminal possession of a weapon, impersonating a federal agent...there's quite the rap sheet.

And from May to July of this year, he's been arrested 5 times in less than three months on all separate charges, for everything from attempting to buy cocaine and marijuana to outstanding warrants.

Some say it all started falling apart because of the drugs; others speculate problems with debt. In March, DMX himself said "These are the last years," implying he believes in some sort of Armageddon. Whatever the reason(s) DMX's life seems to be taking a turn for the worse, it's inexplicably tragic. There was a day when the man gave almost a quarter of a million dollars to save a New York church from foreclosure. He performs for charity. He's in the Guinness Book of World Records for his record sales.

For all the lives Simmons must have touched - be it through his music, his donations, or his friendship - is there really no one out there willing to intervene and return the favor? Or is it impossible to save a troubled artist from himself?

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