Ruff Ryders - Ryde or Die, Vol. 1

Following in the hip-hop tradition of Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, Dr. Dre, and the entire No Limit roster, DMX has used his nascent stardom to give something back to his crew, the Ruff Ryders. Ostensibly a showcase for the Lox and the unknowns of the family (Drag-On, Eve, Parle, Cross, and Infra-Red), Ryde or Die works even better as a calling card for producer Swizz Beatz, who gets plenty of shout-outs on the Cuban-flavored "What Ya Want" and DMX's "Bugout." Swizz keeps the album bouncing with funky sounds and makes sure all the rappers--even the normally mush-mouthed Juvenile, just one of the plethora of guest stars (including Mase, Jermaine Dupri, Big Pun, and Jay-Z) here--sound crystal clear. There are a few tracks that don't make the cut at all--Parle's limp R&B anthem "I'm a Ruff Ryder" is the worst offender--and no breakout classics, but the tracks here are consistently fun to listen to. --Randy Silver Amazon.com

classic ruff ryders

If you're a fan of hip-hop you can't sleep on Ruff Ryders' mark on the game and the greatness of this album, it dropped in 1999 and still sounds timeless today, this is when DMX, Eve, Drag-On, and The Lox were at there best, I'm sure most hip-hop heads own this album already but if you don't have it you should check it out 'cause it's better than most crap out these days people consider hot. December 29, 2007

Ruff Ryders & Cash Money owned the summer of 1999...........

This was my joint. This joint put Eve and Drag-On on the map.

Top Joints:
Down Bottom (Classic)Drag, Juvie and Swizz the Monster get bucked!
What Yall Want
Kiss of Death (Jadakiss actually had the prime opportunity to be what 50 is today) Classic Joint
Jigga (Jay-Z's summer banger)
Pina Colada ( The Lox and Big Pun joint)

April 7, 2007

Pass this one over

There are only two decent songs on the album. I burned it off of a friend because it isn't worth buying. December 28, 2006

They never surpassed this one

This is the album that started the ruff ryders era. The whole camp came correct on this one. There is a couple a bull**** tracks and a meaningless skit but there is a few bangers on this.
Pina Colada, Ride or Die, Rock Botttom, jigga my n****, and kiss of death. This one is recommended. I can't really talk about volume 3 I wont even bother givin that a chance ever. November 20, 2006

The best compilation they ever made

Standout tracks: RYDE OR DIE, DOWN BOTTOM(weird collabo that worked), WHAT YA WANT(when Eve was dope), JIGGA MY N---A, DOPE MONEY, BUGOUT, KISS OF DEATH, THE HOOD, DO THAT S--T and SOME X S--T. Filler: Platinum plus(Lame commercial track), Im a Ruff Ryder(Parle cant sing!)and Pina colada is only filler because of the lackluster verses delivered by sheek. Bottom Line: This was the best compilation that came out of the Ruff Ryder camp. This is when they were hungry and were waiting to show the world that they had heat. If you have this compilation just stick with that because it all goes down hill from here like the Violator compilation. September 25, 2006

More reviews at Amazon.com ...