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DMX Faces The Music: Judge Sentenced Him To A Year In Prison
A judge heard a DMX rap song before adding his own lyrics to a court proceeding on Wednesday, ordering the rapper imprisoned for a year in a tax fraud case.
U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff took requests, accommodating DMX’s desire to hear his autobiographical hit “Slippin’” before DMX faced the music over his admission of guilt. The judge called DMX’s fraud a “brazen and blatant” crime that could not go unpunished.
The 47-year-old rapper, known to law enforcement and the courts as Earl Simmons, has been incarcerated since his bail was revoked in January. He sobbed during the proceeding as his lawyer Murray Richman recalled his nightmarish childhood.
“I never went to the level of tax evasion where I’d sit down and plot … like a criminal in a comic book,” DMX said when given an opportunity to address the court.
He said, at times getting choked up, that he “wasn’t following the rules.”
DMX, whose albums include “It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot” and “Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood,” recalled that the judge ordered him imprisoned in January for failing to obey bail restrictions that had allowed him to continue performing concerts while he received treatment for drug addictions.
“It woke me up,” he said.
Before that, he said: “I was in a cloud. I wasn’t thinking straight.”
Richman said DMX, who has appeared in movies such as “Last Hour” and “Romeo Must Die,” has been a model prisoner. Still, prosecutors sought five years in prison for him, citing a lengthy rap sheet and drugs.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Cooper said DMX engaged in tax fraud for six years after having paid taxes previously.
“He essentially went off the grid at a certain time,” the prosecutor said.
Richman said he wanted his client free to support his 15 children and pay back nearly $2.3 million in taxes that are part of a restitution order.
Another defense lawyer, Stacey Richman, called DMX “the American dream,” saying he raised himself out of the ghetto with music that was so inspirational that a former Troy homeless woman called the lawyers to say that hearing one of his songs stopped her from killing herself. The woman now is married and raising a child, Stacey Richman said.
As “Slippin’” played in the packed courtroom, DMX nodded his head slightly to the beat while some of his supporters nodded more enthusiastically.
“I’ve never seen a more horrific background in my life,” he said, describing physical and psychological abuse that left DMX’s teeth knocked out and led him to repeated encounters with the law at an early age.
The judge said that in the court’s view DMX “is a good man.”
“In many ways,” the judge said, “he’s his own worst enemy.”
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Joseph Nybyk Guests On “If These Walls Could Talk” With Hosts Wendy Stuart and Tym Moss Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026
Who else but hosts Wendy Stuart and Tym Moss could “spill the tea” on their weekly show “If These Walls Could Talk” live from Pangea Restaurant on the Lower Eastside of NYC, with their unique style of honest, and emotional interviews, sharing the fascinating backstory of celebrities, entertainers, recording artists, writers and artists and bringing their audience along for a fantastic ride.
Joseph Nybyk will be a featured guest on “If These Walls Could Talk” with hosts Wendy Stuart and Tym Moss on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026 at 2 PM ET live from the infamous Pangea Restaurant.
Wendy Stuart is an author, celebrity interviewer, model, actor, filmmaker and along with If These Walls Could Talk, she hosts TriVersity Talk, a weekly web series with featured guests discussing their lives, activism and pressing issues in the LGBTQ Community.
Tym Moss is a popular NYC singer, actor, and radio/tv host who recently starred in the hit indie film “JUNK” to critical acclaim.
Joseph Nybyk is an award-winning writer, actor, director, and stand-up comedian with a career that bridges both the creative and business sides of Hollywood. Originally from Tucson, Arizona, he moved to Los Angeles in 1997 and began his career in the marketing department at Paramount Pictures before serving as a creative executive at Landmark Entertainment, where he worked under James Cameron and Michael Jackson. That early industry experience gave him a rare, inside-out understanding of how stories are made—and sold.
Joseph left the corporate world to pursue acting full-time after landing a role in Jerry Maguire, launching a performance career that includes over fifty national commercials and appearances across film and television. As a filmmaker, he has written, directed, and starred in numerous short films, web series, and independent features that have screened at festivals around the world. His work has earned awards for Best Film, Best Short, Best Screenplay, and Best Director, as well as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the provocative short The Day the Rabbit Died. His short Feeling Blessed got into virtually every faith based film festival and two Academy Award nominating festivals. He made this short back to back with a horror short titled Lights Off that got into 10 of the most prestigious horror film festivals in the world. His indie feature Ocean Front Property, which he wrote, directed, and starred in, marked his feature debut. He has since continued developing and financing original projects while optioning scripts to multiple producers.
A veteran of the stand-up comedy circuit, Joseph’s comedy blends sharp observation with personal storytelling, often drawing from his time bartending at the legendary Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel. His routine has taken him to clubs, colleges, theaters, and casinos nationwide, and in 2025 he was named Best Comedian by Tucson Weekly. He is also the founder of the Faith in Film International Film Festival, dedicated to supporting meaningful, faith-driven storytelling. Joseph holds a Master’s degree in Film from the New York Film Academy. He is a proud alumnus of the University of Arizona and continues to balance performing, filmmaking, and developing original content from his home base in Arizona and California.
Watch Joseph Nybyk on “If These Walls Could Talk” with hosts Wendy Stuart and Tym Moss on Youtube here:
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