The second of five Ruff Ryder compilations and the first thing I noticed is that the production is poor. This doesn't come as a surprise as Swizz Beatz produces a handful of tracks. No one could honestly say the 'WW III' beat is worthy of the array of rappers on it. I also don't think anyone would want an instrumental version of this album, but in saying that, they have grown on me slightly across my listens of this project. The hard-hitting, engaging rapping, along with some strong hooks, is boosted by the variety of artists featured, with most appearing on only one track.
Red and Meth kill the second track making it one of the strongest on the album which is another example of a weak beat saved by the rappers. 'Eve' fits 'Got It All' well with it toeing the line nicely between pop rap and street hop.
The main man of Ruff Ryders, DMX, is just on the one song, 'The Great', which is one of the strongest tracks here, but nowhere near his greatest hits. You'd think he'd at least also be on the opener as well.
The album closes with a bonus track, that is the one R&B song, performed by Parlé. It does use a cheat code, sampling The Gap Band's 'Yearning for Your Love', that even I would sound solid over, but nevertheless is a strong closer.
It's one of those albums that if you were skimming through it, you wouldn't think much of it because the beats are average, but once the verses are flowing it makes them better. There's not a lot to rush back to but it's a fairly easy album to get through with some catchy moments.
Beats: ★★
Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆
Hooks: ★★★
Best Tracks: WW III, 2 Tears in a Bucket, Got It All, The Great, It’s Going Down
01 WW III (feat. Snoop Dogg, Scarface, Jadakiss & Yung Wun) 70
02 2 Tears in a Bucket (feat. Redman, Method Man & Sheek Louch) 74
03 Got It All (feat. Eve & Jadakiss) 74
04 Ryde or Die Boyz (feat. Yung Wun & Larsiny) 61
05 It’s a Holiday (Skit)
06 Holiday (feat. Styles P) 60
07 Weed, Hoes, Dough (feat. Drag-On) 54
08 Fuck Da’ Haters (Skit)
09 Fright Night (feat. Busta Rhymes & Swizz Beatz) 63
10 My Name Is Kiss (feat. Jadakiss) 66
11 Twisted Heat (feat. Twista & Drag-On) 60
12 Go Head (feat. The LOX) 69
13 I’m a H-O-E (Skit)
14 Stomp (feat. Yung Wun & Trick Daddy) 44
15 The Great (feat. DMX) 70
16 It’s Going Down (feat. Parlé) 75
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