Veteran Hip Hop trio Lox, who recently released a new EP on iTunes, visited Sway on RapFix Live yesterday to talk about their experience working alongside The Notorious B.I.G. and the initial push provided by P. Diddy.
“That was priceless,” Jadakiss said of working in close proximity to B.I.G. “Just to be in the next room, when you’re going through something, can’t finish your verse, or just thinking deep thoughts and you could go in the next room with B.I., smoke, drink, sit there and absorb the ambiance of him making Life After Death. Just kicking it with him without even no music, it’s just a priceless time that’s therapeutic for all of our careers. He instilled that battery in our back that we were the next dudes on the scene when we came to do what we did.”
Speaking to the same period of time, Sheek Louch added that he would try and preview what the rapper was working on while recording their own music. “Puff used to have us in this middle room,” he said in reference to their studio placement. “I remember sneaking by ‘cause we didn’t know B.I.G. like that, I used to walk like sneaking to look in the other room where B.I.G. was at to hear what he was working on and then going back to ours.”
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Jadakiss also described the Ready To Die rapper’s advice concerning a professional relationship with Sean Combs. “He said, ‘[Puff’s] gonna do a lot of things you don’t like, but he’s gonna make you a superstar. It’s gonna be a bunch of things that you’re gonna disagree with, but in that same token, he’s gonna put you at somewhere you never been in your life, where you want to be in this game.’”
When asked about their reaction to the ‘Free The Lox’ campaign—a movement that helped secure the group’s removal from the Bad Boy label more than a decade ago—Styles P described the affair as “part of life.” “And when you got faith in yourselves and in your homies and your team and you stand strong and you believe what you believe and you’re willing to fight for your beliefs,” he said.
“That was just recreational for us,” Jadakiss added. “That’s just showing you how powerful the streets are, you could have the best attorney, you could have the best any thing, but when you got the streets behind you, you always got a good chance of coming off.”
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Jadakiss and Sheek Louch clarified that the group has maintained a friendship and level of respect for the producer and entrepreneur who helped them rise to fame. “We were just at his crib in Miami,” he said. “We had a nice time. We was also at the studio. It’s always good when you can link up with him. Puff is the homie. He’s showed us stuff that some of these artists will never get to see in a lifetime. We did things that you’ll never get to do as far as travelling and touring. Just living that life that everyone is trying to live right now. We always respect and commend him, and pay homage to him for that.”
When the conversation transitioned into speculation about the timing and nature of their upcoming full-length album, the group described working with Swizz Beatz in building the release. “We’re basically gonna milk this cow on our own Sway,” Kiss said. “We’re gonna control this project, big shout out to Swizz, big shout out to all of the producers that we have a connection with. We just feel like we’re gonna control the huddle on this one. We been controlling, so if the formula works then don’t change it.”
Lox Respects Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
In a related but separate line of questions, The Lox responded to curiosity about their feelings about the success of Hip Hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. “I represent Macklemore to the fullest,” Jadakiss said. “You know why I love Macklemore? Isn’t he independent still? That’s incredible. He’s caking out of this world and that’s what every independent artist seeks to do. He explored new heights. His music might not be your cup of tea but it’s still on the shelf, it’s still in the cabinet, it’s still on the fridge, you can’t deny it wherever you go so you might as well show him love and respect what he’s doing.”
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“I love independence,” Styles P interjected. “I’m all independent. I think God bless them both. Like he said, it’s a cup of tea, everybody got their cup of tea when it comes to Hip Hop.”
“Get your money, they supposed to be in that category,” Sheek Louch said.
“No disrespect but he’s a white guy from Seattle,” Jadakiss said, “so maybe some people can’t relate to that.”
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