Money, power and respect are all that The Lox, rapper and sidekick to Bad Boy Entertainment CEO, Sean "Puffy" Combs, asks from his first album. He figures with his rap prowess and street creed already established with the R&B audience, he has "respect and a little bit of power and a little bit of money ... However once we get the money, it's all over!"
And so begins The Lox's chef d'oeuvre, aptly titled "Money, Power and Respect," which hails from the Bad Boy Entertainment entourage headed by Combs and which also includes other R&B phenoms like Ma$e, the late great entertainer The Notorious B.I.G. and 112, an R&B male quintet.
Like Puff Daddy's own "It's All About the Benjamins" from his multi-plantinum chart-topping "No Way Out" album, "Money, Power and Respect" strives for success on two fronts: financial and artistic. He sees money as a way to power and power in turn earns respect -- and that's all that counts.
"No matter where you go or what you have, you need money, power and respect -- from kindergarten until ..." remarks a voice from one of album's many interludes. Then The Lox responds, "I want respect from kindergarten."
However, with this album, The Lox earns little success and in turn little respect with listeners. Many tracks are listless and lack any stand-out features. Puff Daddy, known in the R&B market for his sampling wizardry, leaves much to be desired.
Beside such unique acts as The Notorious B.I.G., a rapper "with style and grace," and Ma$e, the young, grinning upstart, The Lox seems largely predictable. He has a vibe, and his rhymes are tightly written and delivered. However in such a huge market there is nothing there which distinguishes him from other similar acts.
Okay, he professes to be the consummate lover, businessman and hustler, but so do Snoop Doggy Dogg, Ice-T and the rest of the rapping world.
The best tracks on the album include "If You Think I'm Jiggy" a laid-back song which cautions women that even stardom has left The Lox unfazed. He still remains his old self despite his success in the R&B genre.
He raps "if you really did me/ and you think I'm jiggy/come on shorty let me know. We can get together/ we can do whatever/ but you can't get no dough." The track includes samples from Rod Stewart's "Do you Think I'm Sexy."
The mixture of rap and samples have already gained fans. This track already on the radio airwaves has been steadily moving up the R&B and hip-hop charts.
Guest stars from the the Bad Boy camp appear in and out of The Lox's debut.
Lil' Kim provides the chorus to The Lox's title track, "Money, Power & Respect." She raps "It's the key to life -- money, power and respect." This track is one of the best on the album.
Puff Daddy teams up with The Lox on "Can't Stop, Won't Stop." A smooth, laid-back track which rarely deviates from the chorus, "come on, yeah, can't stop, won't stop," which is hardly original.
All in all, The Lox's debut is mediocre to fair. The samples are the heart of the album and The Lox's lyrics are enjoyable to sit back and listen to. He keeps the rhymes coming and his choice of words reflect the vernacular of the day ("earling on my boots," "if you think I'm jiggy"). However, The Lox's voice and delivery is hardly distinguishable from other rappers.
Listen for lots of radio airplay from The Lox because of his Bad Boy background, however The Lox for right now does better as the rapping sidekick than the R&B main attraction.
