AllMusic commented that "Unlike so many other hardcore rappers who are more rhetorical than physical, DMX commands an aggressive aura without even speaking a word.

"[5] Leading hip-hop magazine The Source described the album as "a mind-gripping opus that fully encompasses the appeal of one of rap's newest sensations.

[14] On December 18, 2000, the album was certified four times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of four million copies in the US.

The album was full of violent nihilism, hair-raising tales of betrayal and revenge, and his emulations of dogs barking and whining; the beats were rugged and skeletal.

Rather than being rejected or pigeonholed, the album immediately skyrocketed to the top of the charts, selling 251,000 copies in its first week in the U.S as songs like “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” rang out of every car stereo in New York City and beyond."