Ruff Ryders Entertainment

Ruff Ryders Entertainment is an American hip hop record label and management company founded by siblings and record executives Joaquin "Waah", Darrin "Dee" and Chivon Dean in 1988. It operated as a subsidiary of Universal, and distributed by Interscope Records, with Def Jam Recordings serving as the distributor for DMX albums. The label went on to launch the careers of several successful artists such as their flagship artist DMX, Eve, The LOX (Jadakiss, Sheek Louch and Styles P), Drag-On, MC Jin, producers Dame Grease and the Deans' nephew, Swizz Beatz among others. The Ruff Ryders namesake also referred to a loose-knit hip hop collective composed of the core signees of the label. Ruff Ryders and its main studio Powerhouse Studios are headquartered at 33 South Broadway in Yonkers, New York.

Joaquin "Waah" Dean was a hustler trying to transition to entertainment, Puff Daddy and Waah knew each other from both being raised in Mount Vernon, New York, Waah asked him for advice on the industry and was introduced to producer Chad Elliott as a result. The initial group started with Waah's cousin Swizz Beatz as a child, a preteen Jadakiss, and DMX. In 1988, Irv Gotti was roommates with Elliott who later introduced him in Yonkers to DMX and brothers Waah and Darrin "Dee" Dean, who had mentioned they were creating a company called Ruff Ryders together. Elliott produced a beat in 1989 called Born Loser which became one of DMX's first music demo's and later became his debut single in 1992. Dean represented DMX after he was featured as DMX The Great in the Unsigned Hype column of The Source magazine in January 1991. An advance for Born Loser of $50,000—$75,000 allowed the Deans to build the Ruff Ryders headquarters in Yonkers, which includes Powerhouse studios and offices. Gotti convinced Waah to buy him a Akai MPC60 drum machine to produce records for DMX which resulted in the 1995 single Make a Move.

Ruff Ryders began as a management company, representing DMX and The LOX. The company managed The LOX during the release of their first album, Money, Power & Respect, released in 1998. The album featured a guest appearance from DMX and production from Ruff Ryders producer Dame Grease.

In 1997, through Def Jam A&R executive Irv Gotti, Def Jam signed Ruff Ryders artist DMX. Following DMX's signing to Def Jam, Ruff Ryders was launched as a record label, though they would not get a label deal until a year later. DMX's first studio album, It's Dark and Hell Is Hot was released on May 12, 1998 and was the first release from Ruff Ryders as a record label. Portions of the album were recorded at Ruff Ryders' main studio, Powerhouse studios. The album featured guest appearances from fellow Ruff Ryders artists Loose and Big Stan, as well as a then 17-year old Drag-On, who signed in 1997. It also featured production from in-house Ruff Ryders producers P.K. and Dame Grease as well as the Deans' then teenage nephew Swizz Beatz, who was relatively unknown at the time. It's Dark And Hell Is Hot debuted at number 1 on the Billboard top 200 and sold over 250,000 copies in its first week. The album went on to sell four million copies in America, being certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA, and sold five million copies worldwide. DMX's success lead to Ruff Ryders signing a joint venture deal with The Universal Music Group's Interscope Records in 1998 before the release of DMX's second album. The strong success of It's Dark and Hell Is Hot catapulted Ruff Ryders and DMX into mainstream superstardom and prompted Def Jam's leader Lyor Cohen to challenge DMX to record another album quickly to have another album released within the same calendar year. DMX's second studio album, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood, was released on December 22, 1998 through Ruff Ryders. Much of the album featured production from Swizz Beatz, who began to produce more for the label's roster. Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood debuted at number one and sold over 670,000 units in its first week of release. It went on to sell over three million copies. By this time, Ruff Ryders enlisted Jay Jackson and Amelia Moore as A&R coordinators. Waah and Dee remained executive producers and A&Rs, with Dee also being the stylist for the label.

On April 27, 1999, Ruff Ryders released its debut compilation album, Ryde or Die Vol. 1. It featured the first appearance of rapper Eve as a Ruff Ryder, as well as introduced new Ruff Ryders artists Infa-Red & Cross, and Raleigh, North Carolina Contemporary R&B group Parlè. The LOX and its solo members greatly contributed to the album, through the group was still signed to Bad Boy Records at the time. Swizz Beatz produced a significant portion of the album, with Waah, P.K. and Ice Pick contributing production to other songs and skits. Ryde or Die, Vol.1 debuted and peaked at number one on the Billboard 200, and was ultimately certified Platinum by the RIAA. It featured the moderately successful lead single Down Bottom, credited mainly to Drag-On. Though the album version of Down Bottom featured rapper Juvenile, the music video version (only included on the Spit These Bars CD single) features a verse from new Ruff Ryders affiliate Yung Wun. Yung Wun, an Atlanta, Georgia native, began affiliating with Ruff Ryders in 1999 after his label, Dark Society, presented his music to Swizz Beatz, who in turn presented the music to Ruff Ryders executives. Though not present on Ryde or Die Vol.1, Yung Wun would make appearances on subsequent albums. Ruff Ryders began working with him and were prepping to release his debut album. Though a Yung Wun album was released, it was not under Ruff Ryders.

Ruff Ryders closed out the year 1999 with DMX's third studio album, ...And Then There Was X. Featuring production from Ruff Ryders producers Swizz Beatz, P. Killer Trackz, and DJ Shok, it also featured guest appearances from Drag-On and The LOX. The album debuted atop the Billboard 200, selling close to 700,000 copies in its first week. With over five million copies sold in total, the album remains the best selling album for both DMX and Ruff Ryders.

On March 28, 2000, Ruff Ryders released Drag-On's debut studio album, Opposite of H2O. The album featured production from Ruff Ryders in house producers DJ Iroc, P.K./P. Killer Trackz, DJ Shok, Jay "Icepick Jay" Jackson, and Swizz Beatz as well as guest appearances from Ruff Ryders acts Parle, Eve, The LOX, Styles, Swizz Beatz, Jadakiss, and DMX. Critical reception was mixed to average, but was nonetheless a commercial success. Supported by the moderately successful lead single Spit These Bars, the album debuted and peaked in the top 5 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold in America.

On July 4, 2000, Ruff Ryders released their second compilation album, Ryde or Die Vol. 2. The project featured production from core in-house producers Swizz Beatz, Icepick, and P. Killer Trackz, along with contributions from new Ruff Ryders producers Mahogany, Teflon, and TJ Beatz. Executive production was handled by Darrin and Joaquin Dean, Chivon Dean, and Ruff Ryders marketing executive Leota Blacknor. The album included appearances from regular Ruff Ryders artists such as DMX, Eve, The LOX, and Parlè, while also introducing new affiliates like Yung Wun and Larsiny. Larsiny, a Philadelphia-based rap group discovered by Swizz Beatz’s father, Terrence Dean, signed with the Ruff Ryders subsidiary label TD Entertainment in 1999. One of its members, Cassidy, would later achieve solo success under Swizz Beatz’s Full Surface Records in the 2000s. Although Ryde or Die Vol. 2 didn’t receive the same critical acclaim as its predecessor, it was a commercial success, earning platinum certification in the U.S.