![the lox record labels the lox record labels](https://www.thebostoncalendar.com/system/events/photos/000/218/365/large/47680197_2073979782670439_342404916075036672_o.jpg)
On top of Jadakiss penning Diddy’s iconic verse from "It’s All About The Benjamins," their own appearance on the track- which Kiss and his comrades claim that Puff "forced" them to get on - would formally ingratiate them to the commercial marketplace and netted them the number two spot on the Billboard charts. Soon, the trio would go on a feature run that was seemingly engineered to make them stars and establish a captive fanbase in the process. From DJ Clue tapes, and Mase’s "24 Hours To Live," to Mariah Carey’s "Honey" remix and Life After Death’s "Last Day," the honeymoon period at Bad Boy was nothing if not fruitful.
![the lox record labels the lox record labels](https://www.nme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/DMX-LOX-696x442.jpg)
We didn’t know a lot about marketing and he said Warlox wasn’t marketable." "He was like MJ in his prime, so everything he said was golden. "Just as we were about to sign, or maybe the week before we signed, he said 'ya’ll the LOX, ya’ll figure it out, but no more Warlox'," Kiss recalled. When looking back during an interview with HipHopDX, Jadakiss suggested that their naivety and the esteem that they held Puff in meant that they were more receptive to it than they may have otherwise been. The lucrative deal and newfound wealth didn’t come without an adjustment period, and almost as soon as they arrived, Diddy mandated that they’d have to change their name. As Sheek Louch put it, "With Diddy, it felt like he was always celebrating something. Within weeks of signing, the group would be indulging in a lifestyle that went far beyond anything that their upbringing had afforded them. Being with Diddy, the mogul of moguls and Biggie, the lyricist of lyricists, that’s a sandwich that you wanna be a part of." He embraced us, so that was a priceless feeling. Big was there, the whole world was trying to get next to B.I. " When we signed with Bad Boy, they were like the Chicago Bulls, they were like the Lakers in the early 80’s," Jadakiss reflected to Revolt in 2015.
Locked into a multi-album deal, the group were overjoyed. It was instant.It just clicked like that. Puff was looking for a group, a rap group, at that time. "She was like a number one fan for us." Sheek informed MTV way back in 1998 as the deal came to fruition. " She was loving our music before anybody, and she just brought us to Puff. Unwilling to switch turf at a time when territorial sentiments between East and West were still very real, the group would actually be placed into Diddy’s orbit by the 1990’s emergent queen of soul, Mary J Blige. "Suge's like, 'I need y'all to come out here," he said of Death Row’s attempts to sign the group during an interview with VladTV. LISTEN: The Warlox demo that got them signed In fact, as Sheek Louch revealed, the group was even scouted by a West Coast label that shared their key concerns of Money, Power & Respect and then some. Although their flagship artist, The Notorious B.I.G, was no stranger to recounting tales of peddling drugs and pulverizing enemies, the grit was offset by a mafioso-style flashiness that was in line with the glamour of Combs’ R&B and hip-hop imprint.Īfter making waves on the local circuit and garnering attention with a rugged, Jaz-O-produced demo tape- which can be found online for all the completists out there- the group then known as The Warlox were courted by a smattering of major labels.
![the lox record labels the lox record labels](https://vinylrecordsigned.biz/upload/THE-LOX-signed-VINYL-RECORD-LP-WE-ARE-THE-STREETS-Rap-Jadakiss-Styles-P-JSA-03-mnpr.jpg)
The architect of what’s been retrospectively known as "the jiggy era," Bad Boy CEO Sean Combs, then known as Puff Daddy, had fashioned an empire that was built on chart-ready output and unapologetic opulence.