3 on the Billboard 200 and earning platinum certification, the album was considered a mixed bag that relied too heavily on the glossy bells and whistles that had made previous Bad Boy efforts platinum sellers, particularly at a time when the Shiny Suit era was drawing to an abrupt close. Despite being a commercial success, peaking at No. the previous year, was significant because it was the first release from a rap group in the label’s history and it looked to keep the house that Puffy and Big built on solid ground.
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. 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. 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.
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. First impressions are often lasting and can crystalize our view of people, places or things, but those initial experiences can be deceiving.
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