Ruff Sqwad

Early Ruff Sqwad instrumentals were released on white label, which are currently rare and fetch high prices on the second hand market.

[3] Notable early Ruff Sqwad instrumentals include Pied Piper,[4] Functions on the Low[5] and Misty Cold.

[6] Functions on the Low, produced by Ruff Sqwad affiliate XTC has been described as one of the greatest tracks in the history of British electronic music.

It was something about the colour and dizzying emotion in their melodies, the raw DIY aesthetic of their productions – many made on computes in their college music lab – the unusual penchant for '80s stadium rock drum fills and guitar synths… The MCs had their individual styles dripping with charisma but as a team could sound so honed."

[13] During this period Ruff Sqwad performed regularly at live events including the very first Dirty Canvas night put on by NoHatsNoHoods.

In 2012 Rapid and Dirty Danger collaborated with NoHatsNoHoods to recover recordings previously thought to be lost[11] of some of the group's early instrumentals which led to the release of a compilation album called White Label Classics.

In May 2015, Tinchy Stryder confirmed that Ruff Sqwad had split up, citing reasons such as internal conflicts and Slix not making music anymore.

In October 2023, music magazine TRENCH hosted a free event at the Adidas Flagship Store on Oxford Street headlined by Ruff Sqwad.

Many of the crew's original members including Tinchy Stryder, Dirty Danger, Prince Rapid, Slix and Fuda Guy were involved in the performance, which was quoted as their first in six years.

He produced various tracks for Tinchy Stryder's debut album "Star in the Hood", as well as Ruff Sqwad's two Guns and Roses Mixtapes.

Rapid (Prince Owusu-Agyekum born 8 November 1985), is a grime musician and producer and founding member of Ruff Sqwad.

[19] This instrumental was later used in March 2015 by Chip on a song of the same name; a diss track directed at Tinie Tempah, Bugzy Malone, Devilman, Big Narstie and Saskilla.

[20] Chip's version of the song has accumulated over four million YouTube views,[21] and sparked one of the most talked about grime beefs of the year.

[24] Ruff Sqwad was founded in the year 2001 by Shifty Rydos, the original lineup also included Tinchy Stryder, Slix, Dirty Danger, Rapid, DJ Begg and Mad Max.