Ruff Ryders Entertainment is a record label founded
by brothers Darrin "Dee" Dean and Joaquin "Waah" Dean,
uncles of producer Swizz Beatz.[1] The misspelling is deliberate, and
a take off of Theodore Roosevelt's band of Rough Riders, the 1st Volunteer
Cavalry Regiment during the Spanish-American War. Today it operates
as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed by Fontana
Distribution.
Ruff Ryders' founders were initially famous for managing rappers
DMX, Mase and The Lox who became multi-platinum stars for Def Jam
Recordings and Bad Boy Entertainment in the late-1990s. After DMX's
success, the management company started its own label imprint through
Interscope Records, and had success with releases from female rapper
Eve, former Bad Boy Records group The L.O.X. and its main rapper
Jadakiss, Drag-On, and newcomer Jin, winner of BET's 106 & Park
freestyle MC battle competition. The Deans' nephew Swizz Beatz is
the main producer for most of the acts on the roster. In 2001 Cassidy
was signed to the label through Swizz Beatz along with Full Surface
labelmate Yung Wun.
As the first Reunion Project since their 2005 Album The Redemption,
Vol. 4 Jadakiss and Swizz Beatz invited Drag-On, Eve, Styles P, Sheek
Louch and DMX, who had just been released from jail, for the Remix
of "Who's Real". A Ruff Ryders Reunion Album was announced
by Swizz Beatz and was originally set to release in 2008 but it got
pushed back. The new Ruff Ryders Album titled "Ruff Ryders Evolution:
Generation I" was scheduled to be released in late 2010.[2]
[edit] Artists
* Wolfgang (Ruff Ryders)
* The LOX (Ruff Ryders/D-Block)
o Jadakiss (Ruff Ryders/D-Block/Def Jam)
o Styles P (Ruff Ryders/D-Block/E1)
o Sheek Louch (Ruff Ryders/D-Block/Def Jam)
* DMX (Ruff Ryders/Bloodline/EMI)
* Drag-On (Ruff Ryders/Full Surface/Hood Environment)
* Grizz Roc (Ruff Ryders)
* Flashy (Ruff Ryders/Hard Work)
* Swizz Beatz (Ruff Ryders/Full Surface/Atlantic)
* Eve (Ruff Ryders/Full Surface/EMI)
* Kartoon (Ruff Ryders)
* Murda Mook (Ruff Ryders)
[edit] Ruff Ryders Group
* DMX
* Drag-On
* Eve
* The LOX
* Swizz Beatz
[edit] Producers
* Swizz Beatz
* P.K. a.k.a. P. Killer Trackz
* Mahogany Music
* Neo Da Matrix
* Elite
* Divine Bars
* DJ Shok
* Black Key
* Tuneheadz
* Dame Grease
* Jay "Icepick" Jackson
[edit] Labels founded by Ruff Ryder artists
* D-Block Records Founded By Jadakiss, Styles P & Sheek Louch
* Bloodline Records Founded By DMX
* Full Surface Founded By Swizz Beatz
* Hood Environment Entertainment Founded By Drag-On
[edit] Releases
DMX
* It's Dark and Hell Is Hot (1998)
* Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood (1998)
* ...And Then There Was X (1999)
* The Great Depression (2001)
* Grand Champ (2003)
* Year of the Dog...Again (2006)
* The Definition of X: The Pick of The Litter (Greatest Hits) (2007)
* Walk with Me Now TBA
* You'll Fly with Me Later TBA
Drag-On
* Opposite of H2O (2000)
* Hell and Back (2004)
Eve
* First Lady (1999)
* Scorpion (2001)
* Eve-Olution (2002)
* Lip Lcok TBA
Jadakiss
* Kiss tha Game Goodbye (2001)
* Kiss of Death (2004)
* The Last Kiss (2009)
Styles P
* A Gangster and a Gentleman (2002)
* Time Is Money (2006)
* Super Gangster, Extraordinary Gentleman (2007)
Sheek Louch
* Walk witt Me (2003)
* After Taxes (2005)
* Silverback Gorilla (2008)
The LOX
* Money, Power & Respect (1998)
* We Are the Streets (2000)
* New L.O.X. Order TBA
Jin
* The Rest Is History (2004)
Ruff Ryders[3]
* Ryde or Die Vol. 1 (1999)
* Ryde or Die Vol. 2 (2000)
* Ryde or Die Vol. 3: In the "R" We Trust (2001)
* The Redemption Vol. 4 (2005)
* Ruff Ryders Evolution: Generation I TBA
Swizz Beatz
* Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories (2002)
* One Man Band Man (2007)
* Haute Living (2011)
Cassidy
* Split Personality (2004)
* I'm a Hustla (2005)
* B.A.R.S. The Barry Adrian Reese Story (2007)
Yung Wun
* The Dirtiest Thirstiest (2004)