Lost Boyz Talk Notorious B.I.G. And “Renee” On “Drink Champs”

One week after having Rick Ross on the show, N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN had more rap royalty visit the Drink Champs studio in the form of Lost Boyz. Hailing from South Jamaica in Queens, the group came together in 1993. Blending party beats and street anthems, the group quickly found success. Their debut single, “Lifestyles of the Rich & Shameless”, peaked at #91 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at #10 on the Billboard Rap 25. A year later, in 1996, their debut album Legal Drug Money peaked at #6 on the Billboard Album 200.

Sitting down with N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN, there was a lot for the group to talk about. Their conversation covered the group’s relationship with the Notorious B.I.G., the origins behind the group’s highest-charting single “Renee”, and many other topics on the popular podcast.

Lost Boyz Appear On “Drink Champs”

The Notorious B.I.G. was one of the most influential rappers on the East Coast scene, and shared a deep friendship with the Lost Boyz. “We had some good memories with B.I.G. Last time I seen him, he was in a wheelchair. He talking about, ‘Spigg, look what [Lil’] Cease did to me.’ I said, ‘I see you, give me that blunt,’” Spigg Nice recalled. “He was good peoples, man. No question. We was mad at Pac, we was doing that new [‘Hit Em Up’] shit, we was kind of revved up.” Mr. Cheeks added.

Furthermore, the group talked about the origins of their hit single, “Renee”, which peaked at #33 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the rap charts. “It’s real life. ‘Renee’ is a story about a shorty, we all got shorties in our town and all across America… Ebony Williams, she got hit. Basically, everybody’s at Park Jam. Rest in peace, but she took one. It was a lot of things happening.” As indicated by Cheeks’ story, the song was inspired by the real-life murder of 18-year-old Ebony Williams. Williams was killed while using a payphone in Queens, caught in the crossfire of a turf dispute. Biggie and “Renee” were just two of the topics the group discussed in the four-hour episode, so be sure to check out the full video.

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