Ruthless by Law

Ruthless by Law
Studio album by
RBL Posse
Released November 15, 1994
Recorded 1993–94
Studio Bayview Productions (Richmond, CA)
Genre
Length 1:01:08
Label In-A-Minute
Producer
RBL Posse chronology
A Lesson to Be Learned
(1992) 		Ruthless by Law
(1994) 		An Eye for an Eye
(1997)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic

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.

Track listing

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
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
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

  • 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

Chart (1994) Peak
position
US Billboard 200 197
US Top R&B Albums (Billboard) 23
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) 3