''Hell and Back'' is the second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by rapper

Drag-On Melvin Smalls, known professionally as Drag-On, is an American rapper. He is best known for his time on Ruff Ryders, through whom he released his debut album, ''Opposite of H2O'' (2000). The album was successful, debuting at number five on the ...

. Originally scheduled for a September 16, 2003 release, the album was ultimately released February 10, 2004. It was released through

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...

and

Ruff Ryders Ruff Ryders Entertainment is an American hip hop record label and management company founded by siblings and record executives Joaquin "Waah", Darin "Dee" and Chivon Dean. It operated as a subsidiary of Universal, and distributed by Fontana Dist ...

and featured production from the likes of

Swizz Beatz Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...

and

Rockwilder Dana Stinson (born February 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Rockwilder, is an American hip hop record producer and rapper. A long term friend of Def Jam rapper Redman, Rockwilder got his start producing for East Coast hip hop artists ...

. ''Hell and Back'' was not as successful as his previous album, only peaking at number 47 on the ''Billboard'' 200, however it did fare better on the

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...

, peaking at number 5. Due to the disappointing album sales

was quickly dropped from

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

editor Andy Kellman found the album to be lackluster compared to ''

Opposite of H2O ''Opposite of H2O'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Drag-On. It was released on March 28, 2000, through Interscope Records and Ruff Ryders. It was produced by Swizz Beatz, Dj Iroc, and P.K., among others. The album proved to be a h ...

'', criticizing the producers and Drag-On's label mates for crafting uninspired beats and lyrics.

Jon Caramanica Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York, Caramanica received his ba ...

, writing for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', commended Drag-On for emulating DMX's world-weary flow and fine-tuning his lyricism but felt that he squandered it when either compared to the album's guest artists or delivering generic party tracks. ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...

'' writer Laura Checkoway praised the combination of Drag-On's vocal delivery over idiosyncratic production and his attempts at lyrical growth on "My First Child" and "Life Is Short", despite diverting away from that established blueprint, concluding that "''Hell and Back'' is still a trip worthwhile."

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

Drag-On albums 2004 albums Albums produced by Rockwilder Albums produced by Swizz Beatz Virgin Records albums Ruff Ryders Entertainment albums Albums produced by Neo da Matrix {{2004-hiphop-album-stub