Rapper jailed after court absence

Rapper DMX has released five albums

US rapper DMX was held in custody by a New York court after previously failing to appear to face driving charges.

He was held on $25,000 (£14,000) bail. He remained in jail at 1430 local time (1930 BST) on Thursday, court clerk Natasha Lee told AP news agency.

City Court Judge Barbara Leak issued an arrest warrant after the 35-year-old rapper, whose real name is Earl Simmons, failed to appear on Wednesday.

She had previously postponed proceedings twice.

"We have granted him a number of courtesies. It ends now," the judge said on Wednesday.

The star's lawyer Stacey Richman said his client had been ill.

Mr Simmons was stopped by police in the New York district of White Plains on 2 June for allegedly speeding and making unsafe lane changes.

Officers then found he was not wearing a seatbelt and did not have a driver's licence, police say.

Nine days later, he was given a ticket for driving on the shoulder of the Hutchinson River Parkway in Harrison, New York.

Last month, the rapper was arrested and cautioned by police at Heathrow Airport for allegedly abusing airline staff.

DMX has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide and will release his sixth solo album, Year of the Dog, Again, this summer.