SOHH Squad
Ruff Ryders leader DMX is going to make fans wait 365 days until his next performance. The hip-hop veteran received a one-year jail sentence Wednesday (March 28) on a tax fraud conviction.
According to reports, X went to court and couldn’t convince a judge to let him off after playing some music but managed to avoid a multi-year punishment.
Hip-hop icon DMX blared one of his songs for a federal judge Wednesday — before being sentenced to a year in the slammer for evading $1.7 million in taxes. The 47-year-old rapper, whose real name is Earl Simmons, teared up as his lawyers played his 1998 track “Slippin,’” which talks about his “drama with my Mama” and overall feelings of helplessness. And the beats may have moved something inside Manhattan federal Judge Jed Rakoff, who rejected the government’s request for five years in federal lockup, calling Simmons “a good man” who is “his own worst enemy.” (Page Six)
X is accused of low-key avoiding taxes dating back nearly 10 years.
The 47-year-old performer, whose top songs include “X Gon Give it to Ya” and “Party Up (Up in Here),” stood accused of hiding money from the IRS from 2010 to 2016 — largely by maintaining a “cash lifestyle.” (New York Daily News)
Despite putting out platinum albums, X is widely known for his multiple run-ins with law enforcement.
Before the tax charges, Simmons had an arrest record including charges of animal cruelty, reckless driving, drug possession, weapons possession and probation violations. He has had several felony convictions and served prison time in Arizona. Along with his rap career, Simmons has starred in such films as the 1998 crime drama “Belly,” the 2000 action movie “Romeo Must Die” and the 2003 heist film “Cradle 2 The Grave.” (Reuters)
Back in late January, X landed behind bars for failing a drug test.
We’re told the judge ruled X was a flight risk after testing positive for opiates, cocaine and oxycodone. As we reported … DMX was supposed to be completing rehab while he was out on bail in his tax evasion case. DMX’s attorney, Murray Richman, told us, “I’m saddened and disappointed. We’ll have to deal with it accordingly.” He added he’ll try to get X back into a rehab program. He’s set to be sentenced in March. (TMZ)
