Hitting shelves on January 13, 1998, Money, Power & Respect, the third rap album released in the aftermath of the murder of Bad Boy’s flagship artist The Notorious B.I.G. However, it would be their contributions to Puff Daddy’s No Way Out album, which included the star-studded remix to “All About the Benjamins,” that firmly put The LOX on the mainstream radar and paved the way for their own wildly anticipated debut, Money, Power & Respect. Blige (“Can’t Get You Off My Mind”), Ma$e (“24 Hrs.To Live”), and Mariah Carey (“Honey Remix”) brought their approval rating to a crescendo. A string of guest spots on subsequent Clue mixtapes like Triple Platinum, ClueManatti – The Clue World Order, and Show Me The Money, as well as high-profile features alongside The Notorious B.I.G.
![the lox we are the streets track 1 skit the lox we are the streets track 1 skit](https://www.picclickimg.com/d/l400/pict/165129374006_/We-Are-the-Streets-The-Lox-CD-2000.jpg)
In addition to the song “Thumbs Up” featuring Richie Thumbs, the tape included the original version of “All About The Benjamins,” which paired Jadakiss and Sheek Louch with Puffy.
![the lox we are the streets track 1 skit the lox we are the streets track 1 skit](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/G8bD80F1isA/maxresdefault.jpg)
Blige passed the group’s demo to Sean “Puffy” Combs, who had built his imprint Bad Boy Records into the most successful and popular rap label in the game.īy then, the group, which was being guided under the tutelage of then-management company Ruff Ryders, had already built a reputation as spitters during their time on the local freestyle and battle circuits but would see their buzz skyrocket in fall of 1996 with a pair of appearances on DJ Clue’s Holiday Hold Up mixtape.
![the lox we are the streets track 1 skit the lox we are the streets track 1 skit](https://geo-media.beatsource.com/image_size/1400x1400/8/0/6/806a803d-0b9b-4cb6-98e3-85880d7f7cc5.jpg)
Scoring their first appearance on wax in 1994 after Jada and Sheek appeared on the song “Set It Off” from Main Source’s sophomore album F**k What You Think, the break that would change The LOX’s fortunes for the better was when fellow Yonkers native and R&B star Mary J. With Styles P later joining the fold, the trio, originally known as the Bomb Squad, settled on the name the Warlocks and began catching wreck dominating the local rap scene. One example in hip-hop of an appraisal that proved to be misleading was the rap world’s initial reception of The LOX, who went from being cast off as sell-outs to being hailed among the most revered purveyors of hardcore lyricism this side of the new millennium.Ĭomprised of Jason “ Jadakiss” Phillips, David “ Styles P” Styles, and Sean “ Sheek Louch” Jacobs, the Yonkers-based trio started off as a duo, with Jada and Sheek’s battles alongside one another on the gridiron as kids evolved into lunchroom ciphers in high school. At times, wolves dress in sheep’s clothing, and a dog’s bark may be bigger than its bite – everything isn’t always what it seems. That narrow focus, coupled with terrible production, sinks We Are The Streets early on, and the album never even begins to recover.First impressions are often lasting and can crystalize our view of people, places or things, but those initial experiences can be deceiving. Lox was among the best rap acts in Puffy's stable, but it's never strayed far from the gangsta template. Not surprisingly, the two best tracks here are those in which Lox works with outside producers: The DJ Premier-produced "Recognize" coasts along agreeably over a piano-laden track, while the Timbaland-produced "Ryde Or Die, Bitch" provides the album's only other respite from Ruff Ryders hackwork. Swizz Beatz' sample-free beats may be commercially savvy, but a few of We Are The Streets' weak, monotonous, Beatz-produced tracks are enough to make you wish he'd sample something-Rachel Sweet, Wall Of Voodoo, anything-so he could give that damn synthesizer a rest once in a while. Like DMX and Eve before it, Lox is hindered by its dependence on Ruff Ryders' production.
![the lox we are the streets track 1 skit the lox we are the streets track 1 skit](https://media.pitchfork.com/photos/5929c03c5e6ef95969323503/1:1/w_320/12f94a52.jpg)
The group made a highly publicized leap from Bad Boy to Ruff Ryders last year, and while the move may make sense commercially, We Are The Streets illustrates once again why blind allegiance to one production team is often a mistake. But despite the best efforts of Puff Daddy and his minions, the group never seemed comfortable inhabiting the flossy, ultra-commercial Bad Boy universe, a fact no amount of Rod Stewart samples could conceal. As Bad Boy's only hardcore act following the death of The Notorious B.I.G., Lox had a lot to live up to when it released its hotly anticipated Money, Power & Respect in 1998.