About Ruff Ryders Anthem

"Ruff Ryders' Anthem" is a song by American rapper DMX, released on May 5, 1998, as the third single from his debut studio album It's Dark and Hell Is Hot (1998). In 2008, it ranked at number 79 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop. In the US, upon the song's initial release it had originally peaked at number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, before reaching a new peak of number 16 following DMX's death in April 2021.

"Ruff Ryders' Anthem" was produced by Kasseem Dean, at the time a up-and-coming musician better known as Swizz Beatz. Swizz Beatz had been introduced to DMX by his relatives Darrin and Joaquin Dean, who are founders of the Ruff Ryders Entertainment label imprint. According to Swizz Beatz, DMX had initially rejected the production: "I made the 'Ruff Ryders Anthem' beat in Atlanta. It was me just bugging out, having my New York influence and having my Atlanta influence. That track was the perfect blend which was awkward and different at the time because nobody had ever heard anything like that. DMX didn't want to do it. He was like, 'Man, that sounds like some rock 'n' roll track, I need some hip-hop shit. I'm not doing that. It's not hood enough." The background vocals and beat follow the rhythm of a military cadence. This coincides with the hook's theme of being a cohesive unit. Swizz Beatz recalls how the What! ad-libs came about stating "The 'What!' ad-lib and all of that came about in the middle of us hyping him up. We left it in the track to add energy. Collectively, we came up with that vibe". Despite Swizz Beatz's best efforts, it wasn't until Darrin and Joaquin Dean convinced DMX to give the track a chance that he did so.