April 21st at Brooklyn, N.Y.’s Barclays Center will be one hell of a night. Hip-hop icons will reunite on that very stage to celebrate the legacy of an influential label. As part of Ruff Ryders’ 20th Anniversary show, artists including Swizz Beatz, DMX, Eve, Jadakiss, Styles P, The Lox, and Cassidy will join together to pay homage to the label that shepherded their careers into a slew of #1 hits and nothing short of success.
Here are all the reasons why a Ruff Ryders reunion tour is necessary.
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To teach the new generation about a past movement that left a lasting mark.
To show the wide-ranging and long-lasting legacy of the label, the reunion tour’s kick-off will feature the artists that ruled the late 1990s, as well as the newest signees of Ruff Ryders Entertainment’s indie label, including Quadir Lateef and founder Joaquin “Waah” Dean’s son Lil Waah.
Speaking to REVOLT TV, Dean talked about how his five-year-old idea for the reunion tour came to fruition. “You know for us to do this show, we wanted to give them a taste of what we have done in the 90’s, ’97, ’98,” he said.”Bring them back a little bit, let them get a feel of how raw, how hard hip-hop was, and what we brought to the table. We respect the new artists now, they do have hot music now, but we want to bring a little bit of that music, plus the true essence of hip-hop, back to the forefront.”
To show the importance of unity in hip-hop.
A lot of music groups, collectives, or record labels that have had a successful run in the music industry often disband or fall apart and never get back together for various reasons. With this reunion tour, fans would witness the somewhat rare occurrence of a storied roster of artists, who have since taken separate paths, unite as a family for a good cause.
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To give respect where due.
The reunion tour will allow fans to get a better sense of the people that helped shape the sound of hip-hop during a specific era. Publicist of the Ruff Ryders Reunion tour Avery Watson shared her anticipation, saying, “I am so excited that people my age, in their late 20’s, would have a chance to be exposed to the music we grew up dancing and listening to. It’s time for us to re-educate ourselves and pay attention to the lyrics, the gritty beats, and what New York really represents.”
Dean added, “This generation, when they leave out the Barclays Center they are going to respect the culture of hip-hop and where it all began. We had pioneers that we respected and as pioneers ourselves, now were going to pass the baton to the next generation.”
A night to be remembered, fans can expect nothing but passionate hip-hop artists displaying their talent, love, and admiration for a sound that has helped shape a culture.