PHOENIX, Ariz. — A bench warrant has been issued for the arrest of rapper DMX, The Associated Press reports.
Judge Michael Kemp issued the warrant after the 37-year-old music star, whose real name is Earl Simmons, skipped out on a scheduled Friday morning court appearance.
In August, DMX was arrested outside a Wal-Mart store in north Miami Beach after missing another hearing at Maricopa County Superior Court, where he's charged with four counts of possessing drug paraphernalia and one count of possession of marijuana.
DMX's attorney, Charles Kolzelka, has claimed that the hip-hop star is simply being treated at a rehabilitation center, but Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has offered a different view.
"This guy is treating our legal system like a revolving door and it's time we closed the cell door on him," Arpaio previously told Reuters.
The case is one of many legal battles DMX is facing in Phoenix, including several animal cruelty and drug possession counts.
DMX, who rose to fame in the late '90s, is the only artist to ever have five consecutive albums debut at No. 1 on the Billboard charts.
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