Like the rest of us, Swizz Beatz can hardly believe that the classic “Ruff Ryder Anthem” is now 25 years old.
Prime DMX will forever be an enigma in hip hop history. On this day, May 5, 1998, the late rapper released “Ruff Ryders Anthem”, which shook the culture at its core and launched a movement that spanned the later part of the 90s and 2000s golden era in rap. The song didn’t just solidify DMX and his Ruff Ryders crew’s dominance over that era, but also cued Swizz Beatz up for a hugely successful career in music production.
The super producer salutes DMX today as he remembers the song on its 25th anniversary.
“25yrs ago on this Day May 5th 1998 my life changed forever,” Beatz wrote while sharing a clip of DMX. “That’s how Ruff Ryders Roll! On May 5th 1998 Ruff Ryders Anthem dropped. Can you believe 25 years ago, DMX lit up our screens with his Mega talent @hiphop50 Long Live my brother @dmx Ruff Ryders for Life @waahdean @general_over_everything.”
“Ruff Ryders Anthem”, which was produced by Swizz Beatz, is one of DMX’s most iconic songs of his hugely successful career. It’s the third single off his It’s Dark & Hell is Hot debut album which was released on May 19, 1998. The project also features singles like “Get At Me Dog”, “Stop Being Greedy”, and “How’s It Goin’ Down”. The album sold 251,000 copies in its first week and peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 chart. The album has since been certified 4x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, RIAA.
Dark Man X, more affectionately called DMX, is one of the most commercially successful rappers in the history of hip hop. The New York rapper, whose real name is Earl Simmons, died on April 9, 2021, of a reported cocaine-induced heart attack.
DMX was also a rapper who appeared in several hit movies, including the 1998 film, Belly, before appearing in Romeo Must Die in 2000. Some of his other films include Exit Wound, Never Die Alone, and Cradle 2 the Grave.
