The production on the album was handled by multiple producers including Just Blaze, Dame Grease, Black Key and DMX himself.

The album also features guest appearances by Stephanie Mills, Faith Evans and Mashonda.

The album received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics and was a commercial success.

[19] The Great Depression received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics.

[20] On December 14, 2001, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over one million copies in the US.