This disdain slowly bubbled over, with Jadakiss, Sheek and Styles P. Given their street roots and raw lyrical talent, many felt the group had failed to meet expectations with Money, Power & Respect and were destined to succumb to the whims of the music industry, such as donning Shiny Suits, designer shades and penning contrived singles built around disco loops. The LOX may have enjoyed chart success, music videos in rotation on BET and MTV, and the cache that came from being down with Bad Boy, but they also felt the subtle backlash from a large portion of their core base. The songs вЂњLivinвЂ™ The Life,вЂќ вЂњEverybody Wanna Rat,вЂќ вЂњSo Right,вЂќ вЂњI Wanna Thank You,вЂќ and the Lil Kim and DMX-assisted hit вЂњMoney, Power, RespectвЂќ are all quality inclusions that trend closer to The LOXвЂ™s realm of reality rap, but PuffвЂ™s influence and finger-tips can be found all over lackluster cuts like вЂњGet This $,вЂќ вЂњStart Rap Over,вЂќ вЂњCanвЂ™t Stop, WonвЂ™t StopвЂќ and the ill-advised single вЂњIf You Think IвЂ™m Jiggy.вЂќ 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 labelвЂ™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 BoyвЂ™s flagship artist The Notorious B.I.G. However, it would be their contributions to Puff DaddyвЂ™s No Way Out album, which included the star-studded remix to вЂњAll About the Benjamins,вЂќ that firmly put The LOX on the mainstream radar and paved the way for their own wildly anticipated debut, Money, Power & Respect. Blige (вЂњCanвЂ™t Get You Off My MindвЂќ), Ma$e (вЂњ24 Hrs.To LiveвЂќ), and Mariah Carey (вЂњHoney RemixвЂќ) brought their approval rating to a crescendo. A string of guest spots on subsequent Clue mixtapes like Triple Platinum, ClueManatti вЂ“ 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 вЂњThumbs UpвЂќ featuring Richie Thumbs, the tape included the original version of вЂњAll About The Benjamins,вЂќ which paired Jadakiss and Sheek Louch with Puffy. Blige passed the groupвЂ™s demo to Sean вЂњPuffyвЂќ Combs, who had built his imprint Bad Boy Records into the most successful and popular rap label in the game.Д«y 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 ClueвЂ™s Holiday Hold Up mixtape. Scoring their first appearance on wax in 1994 after Jada and Sheek appeared on the song вЂњSet It OffвЂќ from Main SourceвЂ™s sophomore album F**k What You Think, the break that would change The LOXвЂ™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 worldвЂ™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.Д¬omprised of Jason вЂњ JadakissвЂќ Phillips, David вЂњ Styles PвЂќ Styles, and Sean вЂњ Sheek LouchвЂќ Jacobs, the Yonkers-based trio started off as a duo, with Jada and SheekвЂ™s battles alongside one another on the gridiron as kids evolved into lunchroom ciphers in high school. At times, wolves dress in sheepвЂ™s clothing, and a dogвЂ™s bark may be bigger than its bite вЂ“ everything isnвЂ™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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