July 26th, 2008
DMX Pleads Not Guilty
DMX pleaded not guilty to a pair of felony theft charges in a Phoenix court on Thursday, and then performed an impromptu rap for the reporters and paparazzi waiting outside.
DMX, whose birth name is Earl Simmons, was charged with one count of theft and one count of taking someone else’s identity.
The charges came about after a visit Simmons made to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, in April when he gave his name as “Troy Jones,” allegedly to avoid paying for treatment.
Here’s the lil rap he serenaded the reporters with:
“If and when you ever fall down, get back up,” Simmons began, according to a censored recording on a local radio station’s Web site.
“Drop something, stop fretting, pick that … back up, stand for something or fall for everything, wait for the right pitch or miss with every swing,”
He is scheduled to appear back in court on August 12.
He has gotten himself into a tangle of legal messes recently. In May, he was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty and drug possession after his home was searched and cops allegedly found dog carcasses, abused pit bulls drugs and weapons.
He served more than two months at New York’s Rikers Island jail in 2006 in connection with a 2004 incident when he smashed his SUV into a gate at John F. Kennedy Airport after identifying himself as a federal agent.
His first five albums opened at No. 1 on the U.S. pop album charts, but his most recent release, 2006’s “Year of the Dog … Again,” ended that run by debuting at No. 2. Simmons has also acted in several action movies, including “Cradle 2 The Grave” and “Exit Wounds.”
