Usually when a group begins to venture in different directions and experiment with solo projects, the public gets the chance to se how well the individual pieces of the group perform. When the pressure is on various group member shoulders on a solo effort, we get to also witness where the real talent within the group lies.
So when the LOX began to travel the road of becoming soloists we were allowed to enter into the mind of Jada Kiss with his impressive solo debut Kiss The Game Goodbye; but if you thought Jada was the glue which held the LOX together, think again.
Whether you call him Styles, Paniro or Holiday, it’s evident that the gangster whose real name is Styles is a precious piece of stone that has help build the LOX foundation. Throughout his solo debut A Gangster and A Gentleman, Styles takes us on a journey where he defines the meaning of a Gangster with a gentle demeanor. The first single “Good Times” puts Paniro against an infectious sample from Freda Payne’s “I Get High (On Your Memory).” With Swizz Beats’ production and Styles’ saucy laid back flow this joint has currently got the streets on lock. The double R chant and response formula continues on “Y’all Know We in Here.” “Black Magic” w/Angie Stone is a depiction of Styles just wanting to be happy. On “Daddy Get That Cash” Paniro and Lil’ Mo catch the mainstream buzz musically without sacrificing the gangster content of the song. With production by The DJ Twinz and The Rockwilder the song is capable of garnering crossover success even though they may have to edit the remix due to heavy explicit content. Then there’s “Get Paid” where styles spits: “I told y’all I ball for dope/ I’m in a Caucasian jag wit a bag knockin’ Hall and Oates. Duke is sick. The hook is sang by a group of young’ns called the Broodhead kids and they pipe out the tune in a hard knock life fashion but the twist is that it sounds better than a sample.”
Other stand out cuts include “And I Came To” featuring Eve and Sheek and the banger “Y’all Don’t Wanna Fuck” featuring the blocka blocka Brownsville soldiers M.O.P. Styles did his thing. Salute.
