DMX Scores Highest-Charting Hot 100 Hit as ‘Ruff Ryders’ Anthem’ Returns

Three of DMX‘s seminal tracks re-enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated April 24), with his ’90s classic “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” returning at No. 16, marking the late rapper’s best career showing on the survey.

The groundbreaking rapper (real name: Earl Simmons) died April 9 in White Plains, New York, after suffering a heart attack on April 2. He was 50.

“Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” originally reached No. 94 on the Hot 100 in February 1999. It now outpaces The Lox’s “Money, Power & Respect” (on which DMX was featured with Lil Kim), which climbed to No. 17 in May 1998, to become DMX’s highest-charting song among 15 Hot 100 entries.

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“Anthem” also enters the Streaming Songs chart at No. 14, up 477% to 16.6 million U.S. streams in the week ending April 15, according to MRC Data. Plus, with a 738% surge to 16,400 sold, the track debuts at No. 2 on Digital Song Sales. It also drew 1.6 million in radio airplay audience in the week ending April 18 (among the 1,300 stations that report to the all-format Radio Songs chart).

The single was produced and co-written (with DMX) by Swizz Beatz and appears on DMX’s debut LP It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, which re-enters the Billboard 200 at No. 46 with 14,000 equivalent album units (up 485%). The set debuted at No. 1 in June 1998 and had last appeared on the chart in May 2000.

Additionally, DMX’s “Party Up (Up in Here)” re-enters the Hot 100 at No. 40, after it reached No. 27 in April 2000, and “X Gon’ Give It to Ya” returns at No. 46, a new peak, after it hit No. 68 in April 2003. “Party” enters Streaming Songs at No. 45 (9.2 million, up 402%) and Digital Song Sales at No. 3 (15,600, up 638%), while “X” arrives on the lists at No. 35 (10 million, up 486%) and No. 7 (10,700, up 763%), respectively.

Before this week, DMX had last appeared on the Hot 100 in July 2004, as featured on Yung Wun’s No. 76-peaking “Tear It Up,” also featuring Lil Flip and David Banner. As a lead artist, he had last appeared on the chart in October 2003 with “Where The Hood At” (No. 68 peak).