Book summary

Earl Simmons, better known to the world as post-Tupac gangsta rapper DMX, tells his life story, including the events that led to his coronation as one of the most respected street MCs in Yonkers and later to a succession of dark, violent, misogynistic nationwide rap hits. After a fairly ordinary early childhood he underwent a series of brutal beatings from his mother and her boyfriends, rapidly headed for a more liberated life on the streets, and spent some time in a juvenile correction center, eventually receiving the first in a series of incarcerations after stealing a car. In the manner of jailhouse redemptions throughout history, DMX found a talent for art, in this case rhyme, going on to develop a career as one of the most celebrated gangsta rappers of the late 1990s with a series of hit albums and singles like IT'S DARK & HELL IS HOT and "What These Bitches Want." In his autobiography, E.A.R.L., he comes off as more thoughtful than these titles might suggest, finally arriving at some kind of peace in the epilogue, where, after forgiving his parents for their abandonment and abuse, he realizes that "the Lord has always been taking care of me."