DMX

Name at Birth: Earl Simmons

DMX is a hard core rapper from the East Coast school, known for his aggressively brutal raps. DMX's 1998 single "Get At Me Dog" was a top-40 hit, pushing him into the upper tier of popular rappers. The same year his debut album It's Dark, and Hell is Hot went to #1 on the Billboard charts. He followed that album with Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood (1999) and ...And Then There Was X (2000). He also recorded with the Ruff Ryders, a loose conglomeration of hip-hop all-stars. DMX has acted in movies including Romeo Must Die (2000, with Jet Li) and Exit Wounds (2001, with Steven Seagal).

PUBLIC ENEMY
PE formed in Long Island, New York in 1982. They were signed to the still developing Def Jam record label after Rick Rubin heard Chuck D freestyling on a demo. It then took roughly five years before their debut, Yo! Bum Rush The Show, was released in 1987 to critical acclaim. They went on to release the revolutionary It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back in 1988, which performed better in the charts than their previous release, and included the hit single "Don't Believe the Hype."