Two Raps Against DMX

By Stephen M. Silverman

Thursday September 18, 1997 12:00 AM EDT

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Rapper DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, on Monday began serving a 15-day jail sentence at the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden, N.Y., for driving without a license -- and on Tuesday he was being held in contempt of court in the same case, reports the Associated Press. District Attorney Frank Clark said the new misdemeanor charge was lodged because Simmons, who didn't turn himself in until Feb. 26, had missed the court-imposed Feb. 9 deadline to surrender to authorities. If found guilty of this second offense, the Grammy nominee could face a sentence ranging from an unconditional discharge to a year behind bars. Last year, after being pulled over in a New York suburb after a concert, the rapper pleaded guilty to not paying two outstanding parking tickets, driving without a license and marijuana possession. It was his fifth arrest for driving without a license since September 1998.