Paul Redmond/WireImage.comThings are really shaping up strangely for DMX.
The 37-year-old rapper was hospitalized Monday in Florida, meaning so much for tomorrow's court date in Arizona related to his ongoing animal-cruelty and drug-possession case.
Without disclosing exactly what was ailing DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, attorney Bradford Cohen told Billboard.com that "it was serious enough for him to be brought and taken into a treatment facility.
"He spent the night there last night and he will probably spend tonight there as well," Cohen said Tuesday. "I don't think it's going to be an ongoing thing or a life-threatening situation. He's going to be alright."
When asked whether it wasn't quite the coincidence that DMX—who was recently extradited back to Phoenix from Miami on an outstanding warrant for missing a hearing—had ended up in the hospital on the eve of a court date, Bradford said that he didn't think the setback would negatively affect his client's case.
"If a hospital holds you for observation, then there's no reason to fear," he said. "Hospitals want to free up beds. He's never checked into a hospital and checked right out—his visits always warrant him staying there for a couple of days."
The Cradle 2 the Grave star's next court appearance has been rescheduled for Sept. 29.
He has pleaded not guilty to mistreating a pack of pit bulls discovered on his Phoenix-area property, which authorities said were in need of immediate treatment for malnutrition and dehydration when they were discovered during two police raids on his home.
Maricopa County authorities plucked him out of a Miami jail on Sept. 10—where he pleaded guilty to attempting to buy marijuana and cocaine in exchange for a light sentence—and brought him back to Phoenix, where he was subsequently released from custody on a $25,000 bond.
In August, a different DMX attorney wouldn't directly address rumors that the trouble-plagued artist had checked into rehab, but he did say that DMX's camp was "working towards getting him some help."