Aftermath Entertainment is an American record label founded by hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre in 1996. It operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed through Interscope Records.
...And Then There Was X is the third studio album by American rapper DMX. The album was released on December 21, 1999, by The Island Def Jam Music Group, Def Jam Recordings, and Ruff Ryders Entertainment. The album was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2001 Grammys.
Barry Adrian Reese, better known by his stage name Cassidy, is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He first garnered attention for his freestyles and competitions as a battle rapper in the late 1990s, and soon formed the Philadelphia-based hip hop collective Larsiny Family by the end of the decade. American record producer Swizz Beatz discovered the group in 2000 and signed Cassidy to his newly-established label Full Surface Records, through a joint venture with J Records. He adopted a commercially-oriented approach for his debut single "Hotel" and its follow-up "Get No Better" ; the former peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 while both preceded the release of his debut studio album, Split Personality (2004).
Jason Terrance Phillips, known professionally as Jadakiss, is an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as one third of the rap trio The Lox alongside Styles P and Sheek Louch. The group released their debut album, Money, Power & Respect (1998) for Bad Boy Records, while its follow up, We Are the Streets (2000) was released for Ruff Ryders Entertainment, an imprint of Interscope Records. Both albums peaked within the top five of the Billboard 200 and received critical praise; their two subsequent albums, Filthy America... It's Beautiful (2013) and Living Off Xperience (2020) were released through Jay-Z's Roc Nation saw continued positive reception.
Full Surface is a record label founded in 2001, by American hip hop recording artist and record producer Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean. With the help of his protégé, Cassidy, who was the 1st artist signed, the label was established. The label used to operate through Sony's J and through Universal's Interscope, Motown and Universal Motown. However, the label also had released material through joint ventures with other companies outside the Sony BMG group.
It's Dark and Hell Is Hot is the debut album by American rapper DMX. It was released on May 19, 1998, by Def Jam Recordings and Ruff Ryders Entertainment. It was supported by four singles—"Get at Me Dog", "Stop Being Greedy", "Ruff Ryders' Anthem" and "How's It Goin' Down", in order of release—and their accompanying music videos.
James Carlton Anderson, better known by his stage name Yung Wun, is an American rapper from Atlanta.
Kiss of Death is the second album by American rapper Jadakiss. It is the follow-up to his 2001 Platinum-RIAA selling debut album Kiss tha Game Goodbye. The album was released in the US on the June 22, 2004 and debuted at number one on both the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.
Kiss tha Game Goodbye is the debut studio album by American rapper Jadakiss. Originally scheduled for an April 18th, 2000 release, the album was ultimately released on August 7, 2001, by Ruff Ryders Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 and number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood is the second studio album by American rapper DMX. The album was released on December 22, 1998, by Def Jam Recordings and Ruff Ryders Entertainment, over seven months after his debut album, It's Dark and Hell Is Hot.
Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady is the debut studio album by American rapper Eve. It was released by Ruff Ryders Entertainment and Interscope Records on September 14, 1999. All of the songs on the album were written by Eve herself. It sold over 200,000 copies in the first week. The album has sold over 2 million copies and was certified Double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album features singles such as "Gotta Man", and "Love Is Blind" with Faith Evans. Eve became the third female hip-hop artist to have her album peak at number-one on the Billboard 200.
Ryde or Die Vol. 1 is a compilation album from American hip-hop record label and collective Ruff Ryders, released on April 27, 1999 through Interscope Records and Ruff Ryders. The album debuted at #1, selling roughly 285,000 copies in its first week and was certified platinum on June 2, 1999.
Ryde or Die Vol. 2 is the second compilation album by American hip hop collective and record label Ruff Ryders. It was originally scheduled for release on March 7, 2000, but was delayed to July 4, 2000 and released via Interscope Records and Ruff Ryders. Recording sessions took place at Chung King Studios, Sony Music Studios, Battery Studios, Powerhouse Studios in New York City, at the Record Plant, the Enterprise, Westlake Audio in Los Angeles, at the Hit Factory Criteria in Miami. Production was handled by Swizz Beatz, Mahogany, Teflon, Icepick, P. Killer Trackz and TJ Beatz, with Darrin Dean, Joaquin Dean, Chivon Dean and Leota Blacknor serving as executive producers. It features guest appearances from Busta Rhymes, Method Man & Redman, Scarface, Snoop Dogg, Trick Daddy and Twista.
Opposite of H2O is the debut studio album by American rapper Drag-On. Originally scheduled for a January 25, 2000 release, it was ultimately released on March 28, 2000, through Interscope Records and Ruff Ryders. It was produced by Swizz Beatz, Dj Iroc, and P.K., among others. Critical reception of the album was mixed to average, but the album nonetheless proved to be a huge success for Drag-On, debuting and peaking at number 5 on the Billboard 200 and number 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. It spent 14 weeks on the Billboard 200 before leaving the chart. The album was ultimately certified Gold by the RIAA.
"Ruff Ryders' Anthem" is a song by American rapper DMX, released on May 5, 1998, as the third single from his debut studio album It's Dark and Hell Is Hot (1998). In 2008, the song was ranked at number 79 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop. In the US, upon the song's initial release it had originally peaked at number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, before reaching a new peak of number 16 following DMX's death in April 2021.
"Where the Hood At?" is a song by American rapper DMX, released as the lead single from his 2003 studio album Grand Champ. AllMusic stated "The anthemic lead single, 'Where the Hood At,' is precisely modeled after previous DMX rallying calls like 'Ruff Ryders' Anthem', 'What's My Name?', and 'Who We Be.'"
Zapp II is the second studio album by American funk band Zapp, released on 1982 via Warner Bros. Records. The album peaked at #25 on the US Billboard 200 chart and at #2 on the US Billboard R&B chart. Three singles were released from the album, "Doo Wa Ditty " / "A Touch of Jazz ", "Dance Floor" and "Playin' Kinda Ruff" / "Do You Really Want an Answer?". "Dance Floor" was the biggest R&B hit from the album, peaking at #1. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on September 21, 1982.
The Great Depression is the fourth studio album by American rapper DMX. It was released on October 23, 2001 by Ruff Ryders Entertainment and Def Jam Recordings. The production on the album was handled by multiple producers including Just Blaze, Dame Grease, Black Key and DMX himself. The album also features guest appearances by Stephanie Mills, Faith Evans and Mashonda.
Richard Anthony Jones, better known by his stage names Fiend or International Jones, is an American rapper and producer best known for his time spent with Master P's No Limit Records. Fiend was also briefly signed to the label, Ruff Ryders Entertainment, and is currently signed to Jet Life under Warner Bros.
Ruff Ryders Entertainment is an American hip hop record label and management company founded by siblings and record executives Joaquin "Waah", Darin "Dee" and Chivon Dean in 1988. It operated as a subsidiary of Universal, and distributed by Interscope Records, with Def Jam Recordings serving as the distributor for DMX albums. The label went on to launch the careers of several successful artists such as DMX, Drag-On and the Deans' nephew, Swizz Beatz, among others. The Ruff Ryders namesake also referred to a loose-knit hip hop collective composed of the core signees of the label. The collective's de facto leader was the label's flagship artist, DMX. Ruff Ryders and its main studio Powerhouse Studios are headquartered at 33 South Broadway in Yonkers, New York.
