E.A.R.L. - The Autobiography of DMX

This book is the story of DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons. DMX was born in Baltimore, MD. However he was grey up in Yonkers, NY. Most of the book takes place in Yonkers. I am actually a fan of DMX's music. It is very raw. And it seems there is a reason to it.

DMX lived in a strict household when he was young. He father was essentially gone. His mother gave him beatings and restricted him severely. Turns out DMX was a trouble maker in school. He got sent away to schools that deal with troublemakers.

The main takeaway from the story I got was that DMX was a thief. The real downer was that he was stealing from people he associated with. Really wrong. There was a chapter in his life when he came down to Baltimore with some drug dealers to make some money. But he mostly steered clear of selling drugs. Robbery was his game.

DMX had a hard time breaking into the music business. He did not want to sell out like MC Hammer or even Sean Puffy Combs. He wanted to keep it real. This book did a good job of explaining all of DMX's life story.

The book was written by Smokey Fontaine, who was once editor of The Source magazine. So the writing is top notch. It was a disappointment to find out that DMX was a really bad guy. But I guess it comes with the territory. You don't get to be a real gangster wrapper by being an altar boy at church.