THIS AREA IS FOR ALL THOSE WHO LOVE THE RUFF RYDERS AS MUCH AS I DO! - Dragonball - http://maxpages.com/vegetosdungeon/Ruff_Ryders

The Whole family of the Ruff Ryders Cliq!

Head of the Family: Dark Man X (DMX)

D...M...X...and my dogs bite! What do you say about a brotha who has the name of a dog tattoed on his back, close to three million records sold of a debut album, and the hottest sound and image on the street? You'd call that man DMX. 'One Love Boomer' the tat reads, shoulder to shoulder, It's Dark And Hell Is Hot is the first effort still in Billboard's top twenty, and kids around the world are growling, barking, rhyming in short bursts of rough ghetto energy, anything to imitate an artist they would have no problem calling hero. And now he has a new album. For an unprepared public, this game started less than a year ago when a deep-throated, bandana-wearing brotha started spittin' hot shit on cuts like LL Cool J's "4,3,2,1" and Mic Geronimo's "Usual Suspects." Then came two unforgettable verses: the first on Mase's "24 Hrs. To Live;" the second on The Lox's anthem "Money, Power, Respect," a sixteen bar ball of fire that DMX said he wrote "a couple of years ago." It was the perfect artistic set-up for a game that was coming out of Puff Daddy's self-proclaimed "Hammer era" into a harder, more broken-bottle, strife laden world where heart, credibility, strength, and attitude meant just as much as brightest suit or hottest girl. Heads were ready for tales of real life, stories of struggle and survival, pain and the ability to get by, the kind of urban tales DMX had always thrived at. "I think society is finally ready to deal with reality," DMX said last February, a few days before his first album was to drop, "so for that reason I ain't got no choice but to blow!" And blow up he did. Worldwide. "Get At Me Dog" was the song that did it, a spit-fire piece of uncompromising aggression that became the universal anthem of hood life, months before labelmate Jay called anybody's life hard knock. But while everyone couldn't get enough of DMX's call and response, couldn't stop listening to the head-nod energy of "Stop Being Greedy," couldn't stop "Fuckin' Wit' D," or thinking about the introspective good vs. evil battle of "Damien," this hardest-working-thug-in-show business was working. Working on a new book of verse and rhyme that would give his people what they wanted. More X. Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood is more DMX. More dogs. More rhymes. More tales to tell. More barks and growls, more hos and bitches, more niggas and neighborhoods. More beats. And more love. Much more love. Who else but DMX would bathe in a tub of blood and call it an album shoot? Who else but DMX would stare out, naked and ready to blast the world, with his hands in prayer? And yeah, Damien is back, The Lox is back, Jay Z is back. But now there are some new kids, because Ruff Ryders -- DMX's Ruff Ryders -- is the hottest crew in the world. Take one listen to the intro, "My Niggas," the first of ten tracks the young beat phenomenon called Swizz will produce, and you'll get an early feeling, that for DMX, this rap shit ain't no game. "Just 'cause I love my niggas / I shed blood for my niggas!" Two minutes later you'll hear some horrified strings and the wail of a brotha ready to bring it on. "Bring Your Whole Crew" will provide the first memorable lines of a 70+ minute album. "I got blood on my hands and there's no remorse / I got blood on my dick 'cause I fucked a corpse," X spits while giving you a drive-by tour of the mind of one of the most energized and manic artists this game has ever seen. "Ain't No Way," then finds the Dark Man taking a page out of the book of the great B.I.G., and ghetto-harmonizing on a hook laced with some of Swizz's robotic horns. "I love it, I love it," he says on the fade-out, right before the Lox kill it on the Yonkers posse cut "We Don't Give A Fuck." "I want Flesh Of My Flesh to be like my connection to the community," he says. "I want to say what's on my peoples' minds, soak up all their pain. I've learned that when I take it all in, I can make one brotha's pain be understood by the world." Well, heads are gonna understand something after they hear coming-of-age tale called "Coming From," featuring none other than Ms. Mary J. Blige. "My journey's been a rough one / I'm not sure when it began / But the way it's lookin' / I kinda know when it's gonna end..." Created by PK, another young producer-phenom in the Ruff Ryders camp, "Coming From" is a beautiful piece of ghetto blues. It's all in there: stuttered drum lines and staccato piano notes, heart-exposed lyrics with a mournful chorus, all combining in a classic message of learning and upliftment that could only come from the mind of a first-rate urban poet. And DMX says what he feels. Always. His real name is Earl Simmons, and as a child he spent his days and nights alone, wandering the streets of the School Street Projects of Yonkers, NY by himself. Despite having five sisters, Earl says he had a very lonely childhood, a painful reality that led to an inner strength, a strong introspective side, and an undying bond for dogs. Real dogs. His two pit bulls (Bandit and Bobbi) go with him everywhere - including the recording studio - and his Boomer tattoo is a dedication to his best dog-friend that was run-over by a car. If you meet DMX, and listen to his rhymes, you hear the same person. He talks as he rhymes, with the same rhythm, cadence, and strength of feeling that has made him so captivating for thousands of fans and friends across the globe. You can hear Earl on the mellowed-out "Slippin'." Laid over a melodic Grover Washington, Jr. sample, "Slippin' " is the spoken thought of a man who has contemplated a life with little opportunity, a life with more than one rock-bottom, but a life that's nothing but his own. And don't get it twisted, there will be no excuses. "To live is to suffer, but to survive, well, that's to find meaning in the suffering." "If you think this reality is positive then you're wrong," he says, "because there are not too many communities in the hood. there's just a bunch of individuals. But all that matters to me is if niggas know I'm speaking for them - because I am them. See, I'm just starting to realize that I'm good you know, and realize the power I have." To influence others? "Naw, I've always been able to influence others," he laughs, "it's just that now I know I may have done some bad things, but I'm not a bad person." At least not the one Marilyn Manson is trying to bring to the dark side on the eerie "Damien" sequel called "The Omen." "The Omen" with a beats-per-minute slower than a dying heartbeat, continues the dialogue between our hero and the Grim Reaper over a simple drum and snare. Marilyn Manson brings his psychedelic alternative growl to the track and fuels this hip-hop anti-psalm. And who knows how it's gonna play out with an artist who has often said he's made a deal with the devil and covered his album booklet in the blood of a pig? Back in the day, DMX had a single deal withColumbia Records. It resulted in nothing more than a white label single called "Born Loser." Now that same brotha has put out two full-length albums in less than a year under the Ruff Ryders/Def Jam banner, and the days of being ignored are an eternity away. It's Dark & Hell Is Hot is fast on its way to triple platinum status and may go down as the most impressive rap debut ever. But Flesh Of My Flesh's "No Love 4 Me" will probably say it best. It's here that Swizz spreads some Japanese string plucks over a kinetic club-ready beat and lets the Dark Man fly. As he also does on the guitar-heavy title cut: "Flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood / All my niggas get down like what?!?" the rough and ready Dark Man asks us, no doubt without the need for any real answers. And it's the perfect anthem for another year of ill stage shows. See, the hardest thug heads have been known to shed tears in the dark corners of DMX's from-the-heart shows, all attention is on stage, and all crowd beefs are squashed by the visceral power of the man on stage. "If you turn away, you might miss something, dog," he says. "It's better to have someone being drunk and listening to your shit," DMX says, "as opposed to being drunk and going out blasting because he can't take it no more. You got your point across yo, but you also got life." DMX is more than a rapper, he's an entertainer and a leader who understands the power and influence he has been blessed with. An album with a "Prayer" is no accident for DMX, it's designed to be the emotional climax of a trip through the subconscious of a young black male. In opening himself up, DMX believes he can save the souls of those he cares most about. And for that, he's a unique individual. Just listen to "Ready To Meet Him," the final song of Flesh Of My Flesh. It's a profound pre-millennial spiritual that will rank the Dark Man with some of the game's more infamous soul searchers. KRS-One and Chuck D have been there. The great Rakim has been there. 'Pac and Big had the spot on lock. Now DMX enters that rarefied place. Lord you left me stranded, and I don't know why / Told me to live my life, and now I'm ready to die Ready to fly / I cry but I shed no tears / You told me you would dead those fears / It's been years Snakes still coming at me / Just missing / Sometimes I think all you do with me is just listen I thought that I was special / That's what you told me Hold me / Stop acting like you don't know me... You know the Dark Man X, and if you don't, now you know. Millions already do. Don't be afraid, just be ready.

I guess you could say next in Line is the right hand man of Dark Man: Drag-On

"I fuck with Drag-On 'cause he spits the flame/Drag-On, motherfucker/Don't forget the name" ... DMX "No Love For Me"
"Me and my niggas done ripped shops/ Bet y'all can't wait 'till my shit drops" ... Drag-On "Down Bottom"

A camp like no other, Ruff Ryders have already blessed us with DMX, the LOX, and producer Swiss Beatz. Poised next to leave an indelible imprint upon the hip hop consciousness is Drag-On.

"I'm bringing a lot of fire", says Drag-On. "When I leave this industry, I plan to leave a whole lotta burning buildings. I plan to bring a whole lot of heat steam, sweat,whatever."

He's off to a good start. In addition to his appearance on DMX's two multi-platinum albums and his work on the Ruff Ryders Ryde or Die Vol.1, Drag has scorched DJ Clue's "The Professional" (GOLD), "The Belly Soundtrack" (GOLD), Harlem World's "The Movement" (GOLD), and the recently released tri-regional compilation "Turf Stories". Not bad for someone who has a stuttering problem. "That's why I say 'youknowwhuti'msayin' a lot", he confesses. "I just say that a lot instead of stuttering."

"It don't affect me when I rhyme," he says. "Why I'm flaming, I'm in another Zone. I won't be where I'm at now. I'll be someplace totally different."

Drag On's verses are like, well fire. They're controversial and confrontational,. His flow is unique,and erratic; it flickers, crackles, contracts, and expands with a science of it's own, as he says on "Ryde or Die": "You wrong tryin' to touch me / What kind of shit you on? / You better throw your boots on / Your unflameable suits on / Tryin' to out the flames / What are you firemen? / Step back, it's a hell of a draftback/ 'Cause my fire it retires me."

"The name 'Drag-On' came from "Dragon"," reveals the rapper. "My name was 'dragon' because everything that comes out of a dragon's mouth is fire, it's hot. And that's what people used to say about me-everything that comes out of my mouth is hot like fire."

Born and raised in the Bronx, Drag-On was first introduced to rap through his uncle. "When I was mad small, he was always rhyming, banging on tables and kickin' flows," Drag recalls. "I was just lovin' it. Just to hear him say it." But things changed when Drag On turned 9. "He got locked up," says Drag. " So I picked up a pen and started to write so I could hold it down while he was locked up.

Drag rhymed while ingesting the work of Rakim, Kool G Rap, Slick Rick, and Big Daddy Kane. Years of writing and practicing culminated when Drag-On met Ruff Ryder CEO, Darrin Dean, while working as a street vendor selling sweaters, jeans, coats, hats, and more on Harlem's 125th Street. "We had one of the biggest tables out there," Dean, a mutual acquaintance of Drags vending partner was impressed with Drag's lyrical acumen and invited him to a studio session for DMX's "It's Dark and hell Is Hot." "They always put you in a test to see if you could hold your weight," says Drag-On. In the studio, he had to go head to head, line for line with DMX. "DMX was spittin' and I was spittin', but I held my ground. I was 17 at the time."

Now 19, Drag has completed close to 40 songs for his untitled debut, which he hopes to drop early 2000.

Next in Line would be the almighty: LOX

The lox ain't shit.
That is when it comes to putting out garbage that the streets can't feel. Presently, the masses that are ignorant to the true life force of Hip-Hop want easy to digest, microwavable ear sweets that they can wave glasses of cheap champagne to. It's too bad that the Lox can't provide that. They're too busy improving style and rhyme flow that influenced an entire wave of emcee. Pay attention to the majority of uptown and Harlem based rappers and you will hear the lyrical path that Jason "jadakiss" Phillips, David Styles, and Sean "Sheik" Jacobs laid down for the rest. Even though they've sprinkled their sharply spiked lyrics over softer hits by the likes of Mariah Carey ("Honey"), LSG ("you Got Me") and Mona Lisa ("I Just Wanna Please You") the Lox have the uncanny ability to create true to life verses that give any song a ghetto pass into the hearts of the rough and rugged. "Even if we rhyme on some commercial shit we still keep it street," Styles confirms. So let it be known, The Lox absolutely suck at spitting that ol' fake stuff that dung lovers are afraid of.

In 1994, the Lox started their saga in the Ruff Ryders team (as a group called the Warlocks) in Yonkers, New York that bred platinum heavy-hitters Mary J. Blige and DMX. It was the ghetto songstress Blige who helped to open the politically padlocked doors for the hungry emcees. "We were always tight with Mary, " says Sheik. "She always used to listen to us when we were on the mix tapes and she introduced us to Puff." Once in contact with the multi-million dollar producer/artist/entrepreneur, The Lox (which now stands for Living Off eXperience) penned monstrous hits for him such as Biggie's "Victory", Puffy's "Seniorita", and Mase's "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" (remix) and Faith's "You Used To Love me". In 1997 The Lox went to bat and grand slammed with their soul-warming memorial to the Notorious B.I.G. "We'll Always Love Big Poppa" which reached sales in the millions. Soon after their verbal sorcery was unleashed on the '97 club Bangor "It's All About The Benjamins". "We didn't like it at first," Jadakiss recalls. "D-Dot (Deric Angelettie) gave us a beat and we just did it." Little did they know their abrasive delivery and quick wit launched them into the spotlight making them the recording industry's most wanted. The Lox became a hood-hold name and their buzz was incredible.

When the Lox' debut album "Money, Power, & Respect" hit the shelves in 1998, the momentum was unstoppable. The title track featuring Lil' Kim captivated listeners and further established The Lox as a powerful entity that stood alone from bad Boy Records flashy, playboy image. They were dubbed Bad Boy's "Underground group" which solidified the label's street credibility. However, the trio was unhappy with the way their project was being presented and entered into a conflict with their manufactured appearance of floss. "That wasn't us, we're straight up street, " says Sheik. "We weren't happy around the shiny suits and fancy stuff. We've never been that." Time continued to tick by as The Lox wrestled with the red tape of company politics and they became frustrated. This frustration leaked onto the streets when fans initiated a full "Free The Lox" campaign full of picket signs, T-shirts, and protest. In 1999, Sean "Puffy" Combs decided to let The Lox out of their contract to travel their own road where they returned to their foundation with Ruff Ryders. "The Lox were always Ruff Ryders", Jadakiss explains. "We had to be sacrificed (to the industry) so all the others could come through." Now back at home with the Ruff Ryders camp, The Lox have hooked up with production wizard Swizz Beats to release their riot hymn, "Wild Out" from their sophomore album "We Are The Streets". The Joy of returning to their street rots is evident through the album. On the title track, their hook, "It ain't hot unless we on it 'cat/we are the streets and we makin' it hard to eat," expresses both their confidence and hunger to remain the true representatives of the real.

Making sure not to exclude other beatmasters, The lox have solicited the talents of other producers such as DJ Premier of Gangstarr, Timbaland, to round out the album's musical scope. Lyrically, the team has recruited artists outside of the Ruff Ryders camp like their Yonkers peer Kasino to rock as well. All these powerful elements combined helps The Lox ingenious goal defining every detail of street life worldwide.

During their struggling period with Bad Boy, The Lox continued to assault listeners with reminders of their existence and promise of a full return. During that time, they flipped devastating prose on the Ruff Ryders "Ryde Or Die Vol.1" album, Mary J. Bilge's "Mary", and DMX' "Blood Of My Blood, Flesh Of My Flesh." They also blazed on underground joints with Capone & Noreaga, Kasino, and Funkmaster Flex. Knowing that silence is death in the rap game, The Lox made sure to make their presence felt.

As it seems even if they were to try to be wack, The Lox couldn't do it. They defeated the obstacle of making a name from the ground up; they smashed through the contractual bullshit and still kept the streets locked down. With all the problems they faced, the anticipation grows greater for the next Lox record. If anyone is looking for the Lox to fall off and fail, tough luck, it won't happen any time soon.

THE REST OF THIS PAGE IS ON THE NEXT PAGE OF RUFF RYDERS!

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Page Updated Mon Jun 4, 2001 8:34pm EDT