The Lox
Jim Jones Wants A ‘Verzuz’ Rematch After Dipset Got Smoked By The Lox
The status of Verzuz, the brainchild of powerhouse producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz, is currently up in the air. However, that hasn’t stopped legacy acts and fans alike from creating their fantasy onstage battles online or in interviews. In fact, Wiz Khalifa, 21 Savage, and Jermaine Dupri are just a few of the musicians that are open to the idea of putting up their discography to compete against another musical opponent. However, there’s a former participant that is looking to redeem themselves in a second face-off.
Rapper Jim Jones, a proud member of the rap collective Dipset (comprised of Juelz Santana, Cam’Ron, and himself), wants a Verzuz rematch against rap titans The Lox (which is comprised of Sheek Louch, Styles P, and Jadakiss). Back in August 2021, the groups took the stage of Madison Square Garden, where The Lox was declared the evening’s victors unanimously. The landslide victory even birthed several memes and GIFs, which still flood around Black Twitter to this day.
Now that the pain of defeat stings a little less, Capo admitted to AllHipHop TV that, as a group, they could’ve done better. The “Back In My Prime” rapper was honest with the host revealing that they did not practice but if offered the chance to do it again, things would be different.
“I think we need proper respect of doing it in the Garden, the big Garden, with proper security, set up right so everybody have breathing room. Not using it as no excuse, but we need a rematch for the city. I’m puttin’ it out there. I’m puttin’ it out there like Rocky after he lost to Apollo Creed — And we gonna be ready like hot spaghetti,” said Jones.
The entertainer also had suggestions on how the rematch should be scored, saying, “Let’s score it like a boxing match. Let’s get the judges. Let’s make it live. Let the people vote live. Let’s do it right. Let’s really go for it.”
Watch the clip above.
Jadakiss Praises New LOX Mural In New York
Jadakiss and The LOX have been receiving their flowers from many over the past few years. The iconic New York rap trio has aged gracefully since their reign in the early 2000s. People have taken notice of that, including hip-hop stars of today’s era. One of the first instances of this was Kanye West. In 2021, he included the group on his “Jesus Lord” track off Donda. Including The LOX during such a huge moment of his career truly showed how much Ye loved the trio.
Another recent instance of this was when DJ Khaled added a “Jadakiss Interlude” on his recent studio album GOD DID. The August 2022 project was also accompanied by a music video for “Jadakiss Interlude.” This was another great demonstration of appreciation for Jada and his group’s impact. Additionally, The LOX got their proper praise during their Verzuz battle with DipSet. General consensus says The LOX won the battle, which took place in August 2021. Even DipSet’s Juelz Santana came out and said The LOX was victorious.
Jadakiss Loves It
With all this love going around lately, an NYC painter found another opportunity to honor The LOX. On Thursday (Feb. 16), Andaluz The Artist debuted his LOX mural near a Whitecastle restaurant in The Bronx. This mural is the first piece of his collection that celebrates the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop. “First mural of 2023 is finally finished. In dedication of the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop. Wanted to give @sheeklouch @stylesp @jadakiss and @thelox their flowers. I grew up listening to these guys so I’m honored to have painted this wall,” he wrote on Instagram.
The next morning (Feb. 17), Jadakiss was able to get a look at the mural. Although it could only be on FaceTime because he is currently on tour, Jada was blown away. “That sh*t is mean!” you could hear Jada say about the neon-accented wall art. The tour Jada is out of town for includes the likes of Jeezy, T.I., Rick Ross, Gucci Mane 2 Chainz and more. A “reloaded” version the “Legendz of the Streetz” tour that originally took place in late 2022, their latest stop was Feb. 18 in Birmingham, AL. So, whether it be on the road or in his neighborhood back home, Jada and his legendary rap group still have dedicated fans.
A Closer Look
Styles P Starts His Own PB&J Brand, “STYLES PB&J”
Styles P announced his retirement in 2022 but has started a new business beyond his rap career with a PB&J spread, STYLES PB&J. The spread is a healthier option and is set to hit stores soon. The LOX rapper Styles P has shifted into the food industry with his own spread for a healthy peanut butter […]
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Styles P Releases 15th Album, ‘Penultimate: A Calm Wolf Is Still A Wolf’
One of New York’s most esteemed veterans, Styles P, has delivered his fifteenth studio album, Penultimate: A Calm Wolf Is Still A Wolf, out today. The 13-track offering boasts production from frequent collaborators Noah Styles and Black Saun, Dayzel (Snoop Dogg, Benny the Butcher, Busta Rhymes, etc), and four tracks from legendary producer Vinny Idol including the standout track “Porsche Lights”.
MORE: [WATCH] Styles P Says That 21 Savage Is Not A Lyricist
“It’s the second to last solo. Enjoy it,” says Styles P in a press release.
There are no features on this Penultimate solo effort except for a Brady Watt hook on the lead single “Death Before Dishonor” which dropped last week. Styles doesn’t hold back on his raw bars about the streets, while Watt’s strings and smooth vocals help tie the song together – culminated with words from DJ Premier on the track.
MORE: Styles P Announces Retirement as a Solo Rapper, Will Deliver Last Two Solo Albums
The Queens-born, Yonkers-raised rap titan shared his 2002 solo debut album A Gangster and a Gentleman, which was led by the Swizz Beatz-produced hit single “Good Times.” He’s had a two-decade long career of consistency, dropping over a dozen more projects to date (not including work with the LOX). In 2016, Styles P and the LOX shared their long-awaited first album together in 16 years Filthy America…It’s Beautiful, which debuted within the Top 50 of the Billboard 200 and was followed by a tour. Early on, he was a featured guest on Rick Ross’ 2010 massive hit “BMF (Blowin’ Money Fast)”.
Styles P announced that he would be dropping one more solo album before retiring as a solo artist. Stream the full album above.
The post Styles P Releases 15th Album, ‘Penultimate: A Calm Wolf Is Still A Wolf’ appeared first on The Source.
Styles P Releases New Project “Penultimate: A Calm Wolf Is Still A Wolf”
Styles P plans to leave his solo career behind for good but his fans won’t be left empty handed.
This week, the rapper came through with his latest body of work, Penultimate: A Calm Wolf Is Still A Wolf. Unfortunately, it also marks the second to last album that he’ll unveil in his career. Ghost comes through with gritty, hardcore bars over grimy East Coast production. Though it’s not a boundary-pushing album, it’s a firm reminder of why Styles P stands as one of the greatest rappers of all time.
The 13-song tracklist includes appearances from Bucky and Brady Watt, who appears on the previously released single, “Death Before Dishonor.” On the production side, Styles P enlists Vinny Idol, Black Saun, Ty Feif, as well as his own son, Noah Styles, among others.
In October 2022, the Yonkers MC announced that he would be releasing two solo albums before stepping back from hip-hop. Thankfully, he won’t be entirely moved from hip-hop. He revealed that he remains one-third of The LOX and will continue to contribute to future group efforts.
“I will be retiring late 2023 as far as my solo career is concerned,” Styles P wrote. “I have two more solo projects for y’all and I’m Out!!! I’ll be on deck for all things LOX music, shows etccc.”
He added that he was also stepping down from his position at Juices 4 Life.
Styles P Commands Respect On “Death Before Dishonor”
Styles P is going out with a bang before he hands up the mic as a solo artist.
The Yonkers-bred MC delivered his new single on Friday, “Death Before Dishonor” ft. Brady Watt. As usual, Styles P doesn’t hold back while Watt’s smooth vocals tie the song together on the hook. The latest track finds P tackling spacey production, detailing the street life and the respect that he commands before paralleling that to his presence in hip-hop. Though DJ Premier doesn’t provide cuts for the record, Styles P showcases his reach with a phone call interlude from the famed DJ. It’s an excellent offering from P that continues to assert him as one of the nicest MCs alive.
Unfortunately, the new single marks one of the few we’ll get from Styles in the future. The LOX rapper announced that he’ll be retiring from his solo career, though he’ll continue to contribute to group efforts and deliver features.
“I say this with a deeper over standing of self and evaluating the status of my own mental health,” he said in October, revealing that he became “less spiritually healthy.”
“I believe I have run myself down a tad bit over the past few years,” he continued. “Being a super hard working emcee and a health advocate. I thought about it harder and came to the conclusion that I need to walk away from my solo career period (I think I gave y’all enough).”
This Friday, Styles P will unleash his penultimate project, Penultimate: A Calm Wolf Is Still A Wolf. The project will mark his second last album before he hangs up the mic. He’s yet to announce a release date for his final album but we’ll keep you posted when he does.
Quotable Lyrics
Matter of fact, it’s a matter of fact
Cross me, get your bladder attacked
Lemon face, too, if I gotta face you
I’mma be strapped up, that’s a matter of fact
Styles P Details Why Biggie Is The GOAT, Saying He “Was Really, Really Nice In All Categories”
Nearly 25 years after Notorious B.I.G.’s death, his musical influence and legacy continue to remain in discussion, with many citing the Brooklyn emcee as the best to ever do it. Styles P recently sparked the debate again in a recent sit-down, explaining why he thought Biggie deserves the GOAT title.
In an interview with Creators Club, the famed member of the Lox wasn’t shy about his admiration for the “Big Poppa” rapper.
“What makes him the greatest [is] he was really great in all aspects of rhyming. Most people are good in two categories, maybe three if you’re pushing it. Big was really, really nice in all categories,” the “Good Times rapper stated.
Mentioning Biggie Smalls’ multifaceted character, Styles P added, “But what really topped it off was he was a charismatic individual, but he was very f**king classy and G at the same time. So he ain’t just treat me, Kiss, and Louch good. He treated all of our homeboys good.”
READ MORE: Styles P Announces His Retirement As A Solo Artist & Teases Final Albums
Style P also sang the late rapper’s praises last year, calling him the “greatest emcee that has ever existed” and making it clear that he isn’t giving him the honor because of his early death.
In 1996, Styles P along with Lox members Jadakiss and Sheek Louch collaborated with Biggie on the track “You’ll See.” While on Drink Champs this past February, Styles P revealed that he was actually dissing his group in the song’s lyrics.
After being questioned on which line contained shots aimed at the Lox, he replied, “Almost the whole sh*t.”
Explaining that it was simply a part of hip-hop culture at the time, he also shared, “The whole 90s — you gotta go back and listen to the whole golden era. That’s all darts and back-and-forth at each other… It’s all quoted subs in the 90s.”
Later in the interview, Styles P doubled down on his view that Biggie is the GOAT while also giving himself a pat on the back, asserting, “I think I’m better than everybody but Big.”
Do you agree that Biggie is the clear GOAT of hip-hop? Share your take in the comments.
Source Exclusive: DJ Cassidy Talks Celebrating Iconic Hip-Hop on Final Edition Of “Pass the Mic”
Next week, DJ Cassidy‘s final edition of his famous ‘Pass the Mic’ will air on BET, directly following the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards. What began as a virtual series hosted from Cassidy’s home grew into a global phenomenon over the last two years. As he prepares to transition ‘Pass the Mic’ from a BET television series into one-time-only live in-person shows, Cassidy sat down with The Source to share how his final performance will be the capstone on celebrating what he calls “one of hip-hop’s golden eras.”
In his true showmanship style, Cassidy is putting on quite the event, teasing an all-star lineup of approximately 20 high-profile hip-hop heavyweights including Busta Rhymes, Method Man, Swiss Beatz, The Lox, Too Short, and Ice Cube, as well as over a dozen surprise artists whom Cassidy refers to as his “hip-hop heroes.”
[Author’s note: I know who they are, and trust me when I say that it will be an epic performance.]
Cassidy explained to The Source how some of his shows have strategically showcased what he refers to as “Hip-Hop’s golden eras.”
He explains how the first golden era of hip-hop is considered by many to span from the early 1980s to the early 1990s, an era that gave birth to the first superstars of the culture – Run DMC, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Salt ‘N Pepa, so on and so on.
“It was this pivotal era that I celebrated with ‘Pass The Mic: Volume One,’” he explains. “That edition featured thirty-six iconic hip-hop stars, all who debuted between the years of 1983 and 1993. This is best exemplified by the opening and closing songs of the show, “Sucker MCs” by Run DMC which was released in ‘83, and “Hip Hop Hooray” by Naughty By Nature which was released in ‘93.”
The second golden era of Hip-Hop is considered by many to span the ten years that followed. According to Cassidy, during this definitive period, music that would have typically been considered music for the streets became music for the mainstream. “Hip-hop began selling millions of records like never before, transforming global pop culture, from music to fashion to film. Rappers became pop stars, designers, and actors,” he states.
As for how these eras relate to his final installment of the ‘Pass the Mic’ franchise, he explains:
“After premiering ‘Pass The Mic: Volume Two,’ I immediately dreamt of a sequel, and I just knew that sequel should be the grand finale. Hip-hop is my first love and my greatest inspiration, so it felt right that the culmination of the series as we know it should be a celebration of Hip-hop. In this final edition, I’m going to pass the mic to twenty iconic hip-hop superstars, all of whom changed the game in their own massive way. These artists changed the sound, the look, and the influence of the culture. Their careers span decades. Their music transcends time and place. Simply put, this is the grandest finale I could have ever imagined.”
While this edition of ‘Pass The Mic’ marks the grand finale of the series as we know it, it also marks the beginning of the future.
“‘Pass The Mic’ has really just begun and will continue to bring the celebration to party people around the world,” Cassidy says. “One of the next chapters is ‘Pass The Mic Live’ in which I will bring the celebration to the live stage. In anticipation of what’s to come, I’ve already produced two epic pop-up shows, one at the Pegasus World Cup in Miami which featured surprise live performances from Ja Rule, Lil Kim, Mase, and Jadakiss, and one at the opening of the Hard Rock Hotel in New York City which featured surprise live performances from Nas, Busta Rhymes, and Fat Joe. The third pop show will take place on October 21st at the Grand Prix Formula 1 in Austin and will feature live performances from Robin Thicke, Wyclef Jean, and Shaggy. These pop-up shows are just the beginning of what’s to come for ‘Pass The Mic!’”
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