Swizz Beatz cannot produce whole/the majority of albums. It was never worked. He produces all bar the opener, 'Dope Money', and the R&B track, 'I'm a Ruff Ryder', that are all better than almost everything Swizz touches. The production just lets this down. Too often there is little to no progression and it just seems lazy or like it was created by an untalented producer. Thankfully these Ruff Ryder projects got better from here where Swizz doesn't handle as much of the production.
Beats: ★☆
Rapping/Bars: ★★★
Hooks: ★☆
Best Tracks: Ryde or Die, I'm a Ruff Ryder, Some X Shit
1. Ryde or Die 73
Samples the dope 'Head Banger' by EPMD. You can't go too wrong with that but it could do more on this posse track that features six Ruff Ryders.
2. Down Bottom 54
Okay, but this gets monotonous.
3. What Ya Want 58
Again, it's okay, but it's just missing something else to make the production feel fuller. It decently toes the line between pop rap and street as Eve could often do well.
4. Jigga My Nigga 50
This is the third Swizz Beatz beat in a row, and man, it sounds so like him, and I don't mean that in a good way. Swizz could make some real cheap amateurish sounding beatz. The hook is purposely low energy too. "Jiggaaa." Nope.
5. Talkin' Money (Skit)
6. Dope Money 64
There's better energy and rapping from the LOX and beat from P. Killer Trackz, but the beat almost has no change, not even for the hook. Still though, this is one the best efforts on the boards.
7. I'm a Ruff Ryder 73
Parlé gives us some R&B and it's one of the best songs so far. This group deserved an album.
8. Bug Out 60
Samples 'Funky Worm' by the Ohio Players that has been sampled hundreds of times. The first of DMX's two solo tracks. A short one though at just over one minute in length.
9. Kiss of Death 54
Jada is spitting, but the beat and chorus isn't good enough.
10. The Hood 50
As before, the production just isn't interesting enough.
11. Platinum Plus 30
As before, but worse. God, Ma$e was fu**ing boring. He could be spitting the best bars of all time, but his voice/delivery is so flat. Again, there is almost no instrumentation changes including for the hook.
12. Buff Ryder (Skit)
13. Do That Shit 52
Eve is trying but it's the same story here too.
14. Piña Colada 60
It's great to hear more of Pun who helps this be okay. But the beat (surprise!) could be better.
15. Some X Shit 70
This track uses a loop later repurposed for DMX’s classic ‘Where the Hood At?’. It almost feels like an early demo of that song, which was ultimately elevated by the additional co-producers on the final version. DMX shifts constantly between aggression and calm, mirroring the production changes, which keeps the track from slipping into monotony.
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