Subscribe
The Daily Grind Video
CLOSE

Let’s take a trip down memory lane. The year was 1999 and the Ruff Ryder’s clique was the hottest crew in hip-hop. The year before, the group’s lead rapper DMX put out two classic platinum albums: his moody debut, It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot and his equally bleak follow up, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood

DETAILS: REUNITED & IT FEELS SO GOOD! Ruff Ryders Are Getting Back Together

Eve was bubbling, getting ready to drop her debut solo album, Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady, the crew’s in-house producer Swizz Beatz was making a hit every time he touched a keyboard and Drag-On was tearing the streets up. 

VIDEO: BEWARE OF THE DOG! Watch DMX’s Comeback On The 2011 BET Hip-Hop Awards

The clique was so hot that The Lox, consisting of Jadakiss, Styles P and Sheek Louch, was trying to get released from Bad Boy Records and join the Ruff Ryders. 

Now, back to 2012.

And even though the Ruff Ryders clique is still around, the brand is nowhere near as dominant as it once was. 

Some of the rappers that were originally on the label moved on for various reasons, while new acts are considered to be on a sinking ship. 

However, news isn’t all bleak for the once mighty label. There might be some hope.

TMZ caught up with Darkman X himself and he said that we can expect a Ruff Ryders reunion concert in 2012, with all the original artists and the new acts joining forces, Voltron style. 

We’re not going to lie — that sounds awesome.

To get you prepared, we’re going to let you know the story behind all of your favorite Ruff Ryders, and what they have been up to lately. 

[pagebreak]

DMX 

It has been a long, tough road for the once legendary DMX. The Yonkers rapper was once, undeniably, the hottest rapper in the game, but his reign of supremacy would not last as long as expected. 

DMX’s zenith came with the release of his third album …And There Was X, which sold over six million copies. 

From there on, each successive album was a disappointment, both critically and commercially.

Then there were the drugs. Over the entire 2000s, DMX had a nasty crack/cocaine habit that was the catalyst for his problems with the law. During that time he was arrested over a dozen times, for reasons that included drugs, animal cruelty, assault and numerous crazy driving offenses. Example: he once tried to hijack a car while pretending to be a federal officer. Not the thing to do.

After spending most of last year in jail, DMX is now home and has talked about changing his life. He says that he is clean and he has a new album titled Undisputed getting ready to drop under the Ruff Ryders label.

All we can say is, we’re rooting for ya X! 

[pagebreak]

Eve 

Eve has been completely M.I.A. from the music industry. She hasn’t released a project since 2002’s Eve-Olution. She tried to release a album called Here I Am back in 2007, but due to record label drama, and a lackluster response to the album’s two lead singles, “Tambourine” and “Give it To Me,” the LP never dropped.

She’s given acting a try during the years…and that hasn’t really worked for her either.

She starred in her own UPN television show, Eve, which only lasted three seasons (2003-06) and she has had various little roles in movies like xXx, Barbershop and Barbershop 2: Back in Business and Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, but all of those roles were years ago and she really hasn’t done anything significant since.

Hey, what better way to make a comeback than a Ruff Ryders reunion concert? 

[pagebreak]

The Lox is still grinding. Back in 2000 the trio put out We Are The Streets, their second album as a group and their first on the Ruff Ryders label. After the album went gold, each of the group members focused on their own individual solo careers, with each member releasing multiple albums.

During the years, The Lox started their own rap label, D-Block, and also got into some heated lyrical spats with Beanie Sigel and his State Property crew, 50 Cent and his G-Unit clique and Diddy. All those issues got squashed, however, and the group are currently vegetarians — beef free.

Even though they have been in the game for over 15 years, all three members are still highly respected for their spit.

[pagebreak] 

Drag-On 

Drag-On’s first album, Opposite of H20, which was released under the Ruff Ryder umbrella in 2000, was an underrated banger. Unfortunately his follow up, 2004’s Hell and Back, wasn’t.

After his sophomore album was deemed a failure, the Bronx-native was dropped and he went the independent route for a couple of years and started his own label called Hood Environment Records in 2008. Around this time he started doing songs with some of the old Ruff Ryder fam again: this included “School of Hard Knocks” with Swizz Beatz and the “Who’s Real (remix)” with Jadakiss, DMX and Eve. He hasn’t released a new project since 2010’s The Crazie’s PT2 tape, but he’s supposedly still rocking with the Ruff Ryders.   

[pagebreak]

Swizz Beats

Swizz Beatz is as hot and in-demand as ever. The producer has at least three to five smash singles a year. Over the last two years he’s given hit singles to Jay-Z and Kayne West, Drake and Nicki Minaj. Plus, he’s married to one of the baddest women in the music industry, Alicia Keys. Oh, and let us not forget that he’s the CEO of Megaupload.

Clearly the Ruff Ryder’s curse hasn’t hit Swizzy. 

[pagebreak]

Jin

Jin’s not with Ruff Ryders anymore, but he still raps. However, he doesn’t have the same battle-rapping, diss you style he was known for back in his 106 and Park Freestyle Friday days. Nope. He raps about God now. Jin has found God and he is now a Christian rapper, which is a far turn from the Jin we heard on his debut album, The Rest is History

[pagebreak]

Mook

Mook, who used to go by the name of Murda Mook, was one of Ruff Ryder’s last major signings. During the Smack DVD-era, Mook was seen as one of the best battle rappers out there, participating in classic battles with Jae Millz, Serious Jones, Loaded Lux and Party Arty. The DVD-era kind of died-out and Mook went to Elms College on a basketball scholarship.

After spending some time in Atlanta, the rapper returned to his hometown of Harlem and signed with Ruff Ryders back in 2009. Since then he’s dropped a couple of tapes, but still no album yet from the young Harlem spitter. 

[pagebreak]

Yung Wun

Yung Wun is no longer affiliated with Ruff Ryders. He is now signed with New Creation records and he’s trying to make a comeback. This is good news for the few who remember his The Dirtiest Thirstiest album back in 2004. Thee wild rapper just recently put out “Fire Green,” the first single off of his new tape dropping sometime in 2012.