We feed off of each other, we stay healthy by working out, and we keep our minds sharp. We put our hands in the oven and said we would win or lose together. We knew that there was a possibility it could go all wrong or it could go the way it went. J: That’s the beauty of being in a three-man group. What would you credit for the group’s longevity for over two decades? You’ve lived through multiple eras and phases of hip-hop at this point. We got our stamp of approval on the Mount Rushmore of rap. It helps us to know what’s going on and to know what’s lit. Jadakiss: It’s our chemistry, and also not being grumpy old men and respecting our kids’ opinion and embracing some of the new stuff. We got kids and we listen to them to see what’s going on. Sheek Louch: We remain the LOX, but our ear is 100 percent to the streets. What do you consider when making a current LOX album? You make sure to please diehard LOX fans while simultaneously reaching today’s generation without sounding out of place. On a recent call, the LOX reflected on their history and consistency, from their earliest days to their latest and fourth LP, August’s Living Off Xperience.
While Styles P once contributed the memorable stoner anthem “I Get High,” nowadays he’s taken an alternative holistic approach to health, co -running a local chain of juice bars with Jada, and owns a plant-based supplement line. Refusing to become one-note, the LOX members branched out into respected, successful solo careers - notably, Jadakiss has given the culture timeless songs, including 2001’s “We Gon Make It,” among a deep list of accomplishments (even famously ghostwriting Diddy’s “ Victory” verse) that were celebrated this June in his Verzuz showcase with Fabolous. Their humorous personalities shined through comedically violent skits and (occasionally not-so) subliminal jabs at Puff, as cult-classic deep cuts driven by Swizz Beatz’s keyboard wizardry helped satisfy their core audience, and the Timbaland-produced single “Ryde Or Die, Bitch” expanded their reach. Blessed with the good fortune of signing to Diddy’s commercially rugged Bad Boy imprint, the trio’s 1998 debut Money, Power & Respect was a polished release that gave them a platform while simultaneously strengthening their resolve to craft music on their own terms.Īfter Jadakiss, Styles P, and Sheek Louch - who’d formed the group in high school, originally under the name “the Bomb Squad” - publicly argued with their mogul boss, Sean Combs, to leave what most considered a dream label at the time, the group released what’s perhaps their most acclaimed release, 2000’s We Are the Streets. Blige, who would go on to ascend to R&B stardom, the LOX, along with future superstar DMX, represented a small-scale rap renaissance for Yonkers, a suburban Westchester County enclave neighboring the Bronx. One of New York rap’s mainstays since the days of mid-to-late ’90s DJ Clue tapes, the LOX have evolved seamlessly over the last 20 years from lesser-known street lyricists to elder statesmen of the game. Photo-Illustration: Vulture and Theo Wargo/Getty Images for TIDAL (L-R) Styles P, Jadakiss, and Sheek Louch.
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