As an artist, you never truly know what your fans will love and connect with until you give it to them. The first time DMX ever heard the beat for what we now know as “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem”, he was…let’s just say, less than thrilled. Swizz Beatz, who produced the song, says DMX told him, “Man, that sounds like some rock ‘n’ roll track, I need some hip-hop sh*t. I’m not doing that. It’s not hood enough.”
In a recent interview, Swizz went on to elaborate that thanks to X losing a bet, he agreed to do the song after all, which landed Swizz a spot on his debut album, It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot. “He didn’t lose the bet because that song ended up changing all of our lives. So he technically won the bet…” Swizz says.
To this day, “Ruff Ryder’s Anthem” truly lives up to its title, and following DMX’s passing it became the highest-charting single of his career. We didn’t need any numbers or rankings for it to leave an everlasting impact on us as fans, however, as I can guarantee that for years to come the song will be quick to turn a packed room rowdy.
