DMX

Earl Simmons—otherwise known DMX—is a rapper and actor with a tiny little problem with authority.

Following an abusive childhood in Yonkers, DMX (it stands for "Dark Man
X") spent his early years in and out of institutions for troubled kids, before ending up in prison during his teens when he was jailed on robbery and drug charges. He hit it big as a founding member of the rap crew/record label Ruff Ryders (which also includes artists Eve and Jadakiss) and made his name in 1997 with his solo album It's Dark and Hell is Hot, which was released on legendary label Def Jam. He's followed up with half a dozen more albums, a clothing line, and a few film appearances— if only he could stay out of jail for long enough to enjoy his success.

DMX has been in trouble since, well, forever: In the first grade, he stabbed a classmate in the face with a pencil and when his teacher intervened, he pummeled her. Alas, not much has changed. He earned his first drug-related conviction in the mid- 1990s, was accused (but later cleared) of rape in 1998, and was arrested in 1999 when police turned up at his Teaneck home after reports of a shooting and found 13 neglected pit bulls and six crack pipes. He's kept celebrity defense attorney Murray Richman plenty busy since then. In 2004, he was arrested at JFK airport for impersonating an FBI agent after he'd allegedly tried to steal a car. Later, in April 2007, 12 pit bulls were seized from his property in Arizona. He's had legal troubles ever since, earning him the honorable distinction of having been busted by the cops more than any other hip hop star in history, but hopes to make a comeback with his 2012 album Undisputed

DMX and his ex-wife, Tashera split after being married for ten years in 2010. The pair have four kids, but in 2012 DMX said in an interviews that he has as many as ten children with other ladies. [Image via Getty]