Ruthless by Law

1994 studio album by RBL Posse

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
* G-funk
* 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
| A Lesson to Be Learned
(1992)  | Ruthless by Law
(1994)  | An Eye for an Eye
(1997)

|
|

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [1]

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.

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]

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.

## External links

[edit]

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

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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