Vanilla Ice employed a full band for the album's sessions, which included members from notable bands such as drummer Shannon Larkin (Ugly Kid Joe/Godsmack), keyboardist Scott Borland (Big Dumb Face/Lennon), guitarist Sonny Mayo (Snot/Sevendust), bassist Doug Ardito (Cellophane/Puddle of Mudd), and turntablist DJ Swamp (Beck/Ministry).

The album's darker lyrical subject matter developed from conversations in which Robinson encouraged him to write about his past.

Subjects included Vanilla Ice's abusive childhood, drug addiction and struggles with fame.

While the album revived Vanilla Ice's career, it received largely negative reviews and did not chart.

[3] Vanilla Ice stated that he and Robinson were "totally clicking right off the bat" when it was discovered that they both shared an interest in motocross racing.

"[3] Initial publicity claimed that the album would feature guest appearances by Lenny Kravitz and members of Korn and the Bloodhound Gang.

[5] "Freestyle" features an appearance by Cyco, a founding member of the influential horrorcore group Insane Poetry.

[7] Preceding the release of the album, executives at Republic Records compared Vanilla Ice's career direction to the revival of actor John Travolta as a result of the success of Pulp Fiction, and believed that Vanilla Ice would be similarly successful.

"[8] The album's dark and thick sound fuses elements of heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop.

"[13] Many critics have noticed a similarity between the style of music present on Hard to Swallow and that of bands such as Korn and Limp Bizkit.

The album was described by CNN as a "shrill confessional" on which Vanilla Ice "flays his '80s persona, his fractured family and Attention Deficit Disorder, which he has.

"[10] The subjects focused on in the album's lyrics include Vanilla Ice's abusive childhood and drug addiction.

A reviewer for the New Times in Los Angeles referred to the album as "stupid, exploitive [sic], derivative rap-metal by the man who once did nearly irreparable damage to hip-hop.

"[13] Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote that "If history is any guide, Vanilla Ice's adoption of rap-metal means that hard rock is about to move on.

"[28] Vanilla Ice released a follow-up album, Bi-Polar, in 2001, which continued his artistic and career direction.

[29] All tracks are written by Rob Van Winkle, Ross Robinson, Ordito, Casey Chaos, Scott Borland, Shannon Larkin, Mayo, Holoman and JohnsonS.N.A.F.U.