Ruthless by Law

Ruthless by Law
Ruthless by Law
Studio album by RBL Posse
Released	November 15, 1994
Recorded	1993–94
Studio	Bayview Productions (Richmond, CA)
Genre	West Coast hip hop; gangsta rap; hardcore hip hop; underground hip hop;
Length	1:01:08
Label	In-A-Minute
Producer	Tony Jackson (exec.); Cellski; RBL Posse; The Enhancer;
RBL Posse chronology

Ruthless by Law is the second studio album by American hip hop group RBL Posse. It was released on November 15, 1994 via In-A-Minute Records. Recording sessions took place at Bayview Productions in Richmond, California. Production was handled by Cellski, The Enhancer, and RBL Posse, with Tony Jackson serving as executive producer. It features guest appearances from Cellski and Herm. The album peaked at number 197 on the Billboard 200, number 23 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number three on the Heatseekers Albums chart in the United States.

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]

It is the group's last album featuring member Mr. Cee as he was shot nine times and killed near his home on Harbor Road on New Year's Day 1996. It was their final project for In-A-Minute Records label.

In 2014, it was placed at number 49 on Vibe magazine ’94 Week: The 50 Best Rap Albums Of 1994 list.^[2]

Track listing edit

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Bounce to This" (featuring Cellski)	Christopher Matthews Hubert "Kyle" Church III Marcel Wade	Cellski	5:14
2.	"Blue Bird"	Matthews Church III	RBL Posse The Enhancer^[c]	3:48
3.	"I Got My Nine"	Matthews Church III	RBL Posse	5:51
4.	"FunkDaFied"	Matthews Church III	RBL Posse	3:14
5.	"Listen to My Creep"	Matthews Church III Ricky Herd	RBL Posse	3:17
6.	"The Sound"	Matthews Church III	Cellski	3:24
7.	"M.N.O.H.P."	Church III Matthews Wade Herd	RBL Posse	5:07
8.	"Livin That Life"	Church III Matthews	Cellski The Enhancer	6:07
9.	"Niggas on the Jock"	Matthews Church III	RBL Posse	3:14
10.	"Feels Good to Be a Gangsta"	Matthews Church III	RBL Posse Cellski^[c]	3:48
11.	"Pass the Zigzags"	Herd Matthews Church III	RBL Posse	5:10
12.	"Smoke a Blunt"	Matthews Church III	RBL Posse	3:48
13.	"Dedication (Bitch or a Hoe)"	Matthews Church III	RBL Posse	3:31
14.	"Still Ain't Learned"	Matthews Church III	RBL Posse	3:50
15.	"Herm Outro (The Message)" (featuring Herm)	Andre Herm Lewis	The Enhancer	1:45
Total length:				1:01:08

Notes

^{^[c]} signifies a co-producer.

Personnel edit

Christopher "Black-C" Matthews – vocals, keyboards (tracks: 2, 4, 7, 9, 11-13), producer, mixing
Kyle "Mr. Cee" Church – vocals, keyboards (tracks: 5, 12, 14), producer, mixing
Ricky "Hitman" Herd – vocals (tracks: 5, 7, 11)
Marcel "Cellski" Wade – vocals (tracks: 1, 7), keyboards & producer (tracks: 1, 6, 8), co-producer (track 10)
Andre "Herm" Lewis – vocals (track 15)
Don "The Enhancer" Marsh – keyboards (tracks: 1-5, 7, 9, 11-15), producer (tracks: 8, 15), co-producer (track 2), mixing
Dravail – backing vocals (tracks: 4, 11, 13)
Andre "Baba" Mathews – backing vocals (track 11)
Audrey Jones – backing vocals (track 11)
Tomie "T.C." Witherspoon – mixing
Ken Lee – mastering
Tony Jackson – executive producer
Victor Hall – photography, layout

Charts edit

Chart (1994)	Peak position
US Billboard 200^[3]	197
US Top R&B Albums (Billboard)^[4]	23
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)^[5]	3

References edit

^ Bush, John. "RBL Posse - Ruthless by Law Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
^ Weinstein, Max (September 17, 2014). "'94 Week: The 50 Best Rap Albums Of 1994". VIBE. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
^ "The Billboard 200". Billboard. December 3, 1994. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
^ "Top R&B Albums". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 48. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. November 26, 1994. p. 20. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
^ "Heatseekers Album Chart". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 49. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 3, 1994. p. 21. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 15, 2023.

External links edit

RBL Posse – Ruthless By Law at Discogs (list of releases)

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[1] Bush, John. "RBL Posse - Ruthless by Law Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved March 15, 2023.

[2] Weinstein, Max (September 17, 2014). "'94 Week: The 50 Best Rap Albums Of 1994". VIBE. Retrieved March 15, 2023.

[3] "The Billboard 200". Billboard. December 3, 1994. Retrieved March 15, 2023.

[4] "Top R&B Albums". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 48. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. November 26, 1994. p. 20. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 15, 2023.

[5] "Heatseekers Album Chart". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 49. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 3, 1994. p. 21. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 15, 2023.

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