Diddy and his late, great friend The Notorious B.I.G. have been instrumental in crafting the sound of modern Hip Hop — and the mogul recently reflected on their impact as his No Way Out album celebrated its 26th anniversary.
In a touching Instagram post on Saturday (July 22), the Bad Boy boss credited Biggie for inspiring him to become an artist in his own right and drop his debut solo LP, but noted that his old friend’s inspiration was “bittersweet” in the grand scheme of things.
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“Biggie inspired me to become an artist and make this album, so it’s bittersweet to look back on such a pivotal turning point in my life and career that turned Bad Boy into an unstoppable dynasty and cemented our place in Hip Hop history!” he wrote.
“To have countless hit records from so many timeless artists that became global superstars, it will be hard for anyone to ever create a moment in music that changed the culture like No Way Out!”
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He capped off his message by saluting the rest of the all-star supporting cast who contributed to No Way Out, adding: “Special thank you to all the artists, producers, writers that helped me along the way to bring my vision to life.”
Check out the post below.
No Way Out was unleashed on July 22, 1997 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album pushed 561,000 copies in its first week and would go on to be certified 7x-platinum. It yielded three nominations at the 1998 Grammy Awards, winning two (Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group).
The first five singles from No Way Out also enjoyed their own commercial success. “It’s All About the Benjamins” and “Been Around the World” both peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Meanwhile, “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down” and “I’ll Be Missing You” went No. 1, with the latter becoming the first rap song to debut atop the chart.
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Last year, Puff released an expanded 25th anniversary edition of No Way Out, which came with the original 17 tracks plus 15 bonus songs, including remixes, radio mixes, instrumentals and more.
Diddy also dropped a colored vinyl reissue that November to open Hip Hop History Month, marking the first time No Way Out had been available on wax since its original 1997 release.
Additionally, the Harlem mogul dropped remastered music videos from the album, starting with “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down.” Enhanced versions of “Been Around the World,” “All About the Benjamins (Remix),” “All About the Benjamins (Rock Remix)” and “Victory” arrived late last year.
Looking ahead, Diddy is currently working on a new solo album — his first since 2006’s Press Play — which will be released via Love Records, the R&B-focused imprint he launched through Motown last year.
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While further details about the project remain scarce, the REVOLT founder has issued three singles so far: “Gotta Move On” with Bryson Tiller, “Sex in the Porsche” featuring PARTYNEXTDOOR and the Fabolous and City Girls-assisted “Act Bad,” the latter of which he declared “the song of the summer.”
Revisit No Way Out below:
