DMX Reveals That He Initially Didn’t Like “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem”

DMX is undoubtedly one of the greatest to ever touch the mic but legal and personal issues have deterred him from his career in the past few years. However, this year, following his release from prison, he’s gotten back on track. He appeared at Kanye’s Sunday Service, landed a new role in an upcoming film, and as revealed last week, just re-signed with Def Jam. With his new album on the way, he recently caught up with GQ where he broke down some of his most iconic songs.

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Some of the greatest songs in history have been flukes. Such is the case with DMX’s iconic track, “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem.” The rapper recently gave some context behind the song and revealed that he was incredibly reluctant to actually create it in the first place. 

“I wrote it in 15 minutes,” DMX said. “I actually didn’t want to write it. I didn’t want to do that song. The beat was simple and repetitive. So many other songs had so much substance, and this song was like, fucking ABCs, like elementary.”

With the mastermind Swizz Beatz by his side, he was eventually convinced to hop on the song. “I’m glad I did do it,” he said.

The rapper also discussed some other classic songs like “Party Up,” “What’s My Name,” and more.