Hardcore rapper DMX was released on $50,000 bail Thursday (July 1) after being arrested the previous day on weapons charges in Teaneck, N.J., Lt. Dean Kazinci of the Teaneck (N.J.) Police Department said.

He was charged with possessing a semiautomatic gun, a bulletproof vest and other weaponry, according to reports published by Reuters and the Bergen Record.

The arrest arose out of an investigation of an incident Sunday in which Ray Copeland, DMX's manager and uncle, was shot in the foot in nearby Fort Lee, the reports said.

Police declined to confirm whether DMX (born Earl Simmons) is a suspect

in the shooting.

But officers reportedly searched DMX's home in Teaneck on Wednesday as part of their investigation and seized a semiautomatic weapon, a bulletproof vest, hollowpoint bullets and an extra-capacity gun clip, all of which are illegal in New Jersey.

They also captured 14 pit bulls, which they said were kept in a cage, violating local laws, according to the reports.

Both DMX, 28, and his wife, Tashera Simmons, were charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and other related charges, the reports said.

Two attorneys for DMX — Brian Neary and Ian Niles — did not return calls for comment by press time.

The rapper, who is known for his rough-voiced, aggressive rapping on songs such as "Get at Me Dog" (RealAudio excerpt), still faces misdemeanor charges in Yonkers, N.Y., stemming from a May incident in which he allegedly attacked a motorist.

The rapper's two albums, It's Dark and Hell Is Hot and Flesh of My Flesh — Blood of My Blood, both released in 1998, each debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The latter album includes "The Omen"

(RealAudio excerpt), a track featuring controversial rocker Marilyn Manson.

In June 1998 DMX was arrested in the Bronx, N.Y., for allegedly raping an exotic dancer. Charges were dropped two months later when tests showed his DNA did not match a semen sample taken from the woman's apartment.