Customer Reviews

Money, Power & Respect

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Like many other bands out there right now, no matter what style, The Lox have the talent. They suffer, however, from bad production and weak lyrics. For example, from the song B**ches From Eastwick, are these lines: "Today I got a session with Ronnie/I mean Veronica/Met her last year about a week before Hanukkah/Sounds foolish/I mean honey wasn't Jewish/But she had a lot of dough and she was nice on computers/She told me she was born and raised in Bermuda/And came here to get a job as a tutor." The talent in The Lox is mainly from Jadakiss, who did lots of solo work as well with collaborations with many of the Ruff Ryders, including Eve. Sheek & Stylez are mediocre, but can still manage a decent flow. Puff Daddy's producing has definately been better on other albums. The standout song on this album is probably Money, Power & Respect. The strength of the Lox is met by the strength of the guest artists in the track. Overall, it's a fun CD to have, but it's not something you need to buy unless you are a devoted fan.

First of all, I'm not a Bad Boy fan, never will be. Biggie's days are gone and now they got pop stars like Puffy, or P. Diddy or whatever, 112, and Mase (now retired). But there is still talent there, specifically in Black Rob, and in a trio that's no longer on the label, called The Lox. Despite moving to the Ruff Ryder camp, some still feel that Money, Power & Respect is the better album they released (this is their debut, We Are The Streets was their 2nd album). Jadakiss is arguably the best lyricist in the group, and has a lot of commercial appeal, while the other two making up the group are Styles and Sheek. Styles is probably my fav of the group, he has a good voice and nice flow for the most part. He has also just released his solo album. Sheek is only average. As for the album, there are some good songs, though Money, Power & Respect feat. DMX & Lil' Kim is probably the hottest song on here. It was the first single and rightfully so. Other standouts were Livin The Life, Let's Start Rap Over, So Right, Not To Be F*cked With, All For The Love, B*tches From Eastwick, We'll Always Love Big Poppa (tribute to Biggie). The part where the album fails is where Puff tries to get involved and interferes with the overall flow of the album. The production for the most part is good, but will probably be even better on their more recent RR stuff. If you want classic Lox, then I recommend you buy Jadakiss or Styles' solo albums, or even We Are The Streets. If you want a laid-back, nothing out of the ordinary, but nevertheless entertaining, album, then look no further. Money, Power & Respect is by no means anything groundbreaking but it is not at all a waste of your money.

This album was horrible. I expected a lot from the Lox and what I got was bullsit. I ended up tossing this album in the trash.

There is nothing more to these four and five star reviews but pure nostalgia. I hated this album from day one. Prior to this album, anybody who heard The Lox on a mixtape circuit knows that they gave it to you raw and uncut with witty rhymes that made you say "did they just say that"? They were signed to Bad Boy and the hard edged and witty side of them was exchanged for a corny and commercial appeal. The first single Do You Think Im Jiggy(which poorly sample Rod Stewart's dreadful If You Think Im Sexy was the wackest song I heard in 98'. There's listenable tracks like Money Power, Respect feat Lil Kim and DMX, The Heist Part 1 and All For The Love. These tracks are the only tracks that stop it from being a certified frisbee. Other times on the album they sound bored out of their skulls. Lackluster tracks like Livin This Life, Get This $, Let's Start Rap Over, I Wanna Thank You, Cant Stop, Wont Stop, Not To Be F****d With and the extremely overrated B****es From Eastwick are evidence of that statement. So Right would clear any dancefloor and while We'll Always Love Big Poppa wasnt awful, The Lox could have done a better tribute than that. The skits are stupid as hell especially The Mad Rapper skit that stopped being funny after Life After Death. In closing, this album is far from The Lox's true potential. This was a Puffy-inspired nightmare that almost killed their careers before it got started. It's a good thing they broke camp because they sound a lot better now than they've ever been. And for those of you who think this snoozer is better than We Are The Streets, get off the crack!

The L.O.X., a group from Yonkers, New York consisting of Jadakiss, Styles P., & Sheek Louch dropped their debut album, "Money, Power, & Respect" on Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records in 1998.

1. Yonkers Tale (Intro)

2. Livin' the Life - Good beat, Jada, Styles, and Sheek all spit good, Styles hook is good as well - 4.5/5

3. If You Think I'm Jiggy - Good beat, everyone spits pretty good, Jada's singing on the hook isn't bad - 4.5/5

4. Interview, Pt. 1 (Interlude)

5. Money, Power, & Respect (Featuring DMX & Lil' Kim) - Good beat, Jada, Sheek, Styles, and DMX all rip it, Lil' Kim spits a great hook - 5/5

6. Get this $ (Featuring Puff Daddy) - Good beat, everyone spits pretty decent, Puff's hook sucks - 3/5

7. Let's Start Rap Over (Featuring Carl Thomas) - Good beat, everyone spits good, Carl's hook is great - 5/5

8. Mad Rapper (Interlude)

9. I Wanna Thank You (Featuring Kelly Price) - Great beat, everyone spits good, Kelly's hook is alright - 4/5

10. Goin' be some S*** - Good beat, Sheek comes pretty nice on his solo track, hook sucks - 3.5/5

11. The Heist, Pt. 1 - Great beat, Jada and Styles rip it, no hook - 4.5/5

12. Not to be F***** With - Good beat, Styles spits good on this solo track, hook isn't bad - 4/5

13. The Set-Up (Interlude)

14. Bitches from Eastwick - Good beat, everyone spits pretty decent, no hook - 3/5

15. Can't Stop, Won't Stop (Featuring Puff Daddy) - Great beat, everyone spits good, hook isn't bad at all - 4.5/5

16. All for the Love - Great beat, Jada rips this solo track, hook is alright - 4/5

17. So Right (Featuring Kelly Price) - Great beat, everyone rips it, Kelly's hook is good - 4.5/5

18. The Snitch (Interlude)

19. Everybody Wanna Rat - Good beat, everyone spits good talking about snitches, Jada's hook is pretty good - 4.5/5

20. Interview, Pt. 2 (Interlude)

21. We'll Always Love Big Poppa - Good beat, everyone spits deep rhymes dedicated to The Notorious B.I.G., hook is good - 4.5/5

Overall: 63 /75

4 Stars

This albums is pretty solid the whole way through. There is some flaws here and there but besides that it's still a good cd to bump in your system. Jada, Styles, and Sheek are all good lyricists and make great tracks as a group, check this out if you love east coast hip hop.

When I first got this album ('98) I loved every track on the album and that is a rare feat for any album of any genre for someone to like EVERY SINGLE TRACK on the album. These guys are just so entertaining and fun to listen to, I hang on to every word that is spit. I put it on 6 years later and it's just as good as it was in '98 if not, better. I guess this album is like fine wine, it gets better with age and so do the LOX. I like their hardcore material much more, but all things considered this album still gets plenty of air time on my radio!

We'll always love big poppa and I also know I'll also always love LOX!

The Lox's only album affiliated with Bad Boy Records is a harshly overlooked and severely underrated recording. It was released around the same time that label executive, Puff Daddy had scored big with his debut solo album "No Way Out". Although "Money, Power, Respect" went as high as no. 3 on the pop charts and scored with a tribute to the late Notorious B.I.G. "We'll Always Love Big Poppa", that still did not come even close to the colossal sales of Puffy's album and the popularity of the singles on "No Way Out".

Regardless, this is a very good debut for The Lox. I've seen a lot of people here trash this album simply because of the Bad Boy affiliation. I've even seen one person say that they have no talent, but they are the BETTER side of Bad Boy Records. While I do understand that many (mainly underground hip hop fans) do not favor Bad Boy Records, it is not fair to judge this album by the label.

The Lox consists of three talented lyricists: the frontman Jadakiss, Styles, and Sheek. The best of which being Jadakiss, the second best being Sheek, and the worst being Styles. Their lyrics are mostly of hardcore subject matter, including killings, guns, and occasionally women. While all of this subject matter is typical of many bling-bling rappers, the compound that keeps it from being hopelessly clichéd is the use of punchlines, metaphors, and similes. Jadakiss is definitely one of my favorite lyricists, since he has a good sense of street credibility along with a sense of humor and wit. The same can be said about Sheek and Styles, only to a somewhat lower extent. Here's a sample from Jadakiss's solo cut "All For The Love": " When you think of me you think of a problem/Who? What? When? and how you gonna solve em/Automatic or revolving/The K I double S and, Here's the lesson/Most beams is infared, but mine's is fluorescent" and another Jadakiss sample from his verse in "Get This Money": "Three fly cats that get money with go gimmicks/Y'all just so timid/My +soldiers+ be +no limit+/What you know about renting a yacht with twenty jet-skis/And riding out till the Coast Guard come and get me..." Here's a sample from Sheek's solo cut "Goin To Be Some...", with a different flow: "well if I can't talk less squall finish streets like the westerns/Ten paces, turn around and squeeze at unfamiliar faces" I do not have anything against Styles; I think he's probably the best rhyme-writer in the group, but putting a sample of his lyrics would take up too much space. Anyhow, they are excellent lyricists.

None of the rappers have terribly complex deliveries, so fans of Inspectah Deck or Pharoahe Monch may be a little disappointed. Their lyrics are the main focus of the album.

The production is a small downside to this album. None of the beats here are hugely impressive, and this has a somewhat awkward affect on some of the more hardcore tracks like "Livin The Life". It's not as apparent as on some albums like Canibus's debut, so the production here doesn't have that bad an effect.

Standouts: "Get This Money" is probably the most relaxed and enjoyable cut on here. With it's clever lyrics from all three members. "Not To Be F***ed With" is one track where the production fits the mood of the hardcore lyrics. The aforementioned Jadakiss solo cut, "All For The Love" has brilliant lyrics and funny punchlines, over a somewhat goofy beat. The obligatory party track, "If You Think I'm Jiggy" has a surprisingly charismatic and hard-edged sound to it, and has one of the nicer beats. The title track is quite good, although a younger DMX kicks the same shouting, "F'ing with ME? I put a clip in ya head! It's not a mf'ing game!" subject matter he's still using even now as he approaches retirement, the others have some hard punchlines. Lil Kim does the repetitive hook. "The Heist" is a brilliantly executed story-telling track with Jadakiss and Styles both narrating themselves robbing a big store of some sort, while the cops close in on them. "B****es From Eastwick" is probably their best conceptual cut. You'll be amazed by how well it's thought out and put together. Finally, "We'll Always Love Big Poppa" is the classic, heartfelt eulogy song to the fallen Biggie Smalls. Each member shines bright. In Styles verse, he makes me visualize 2Pac and Big making eternal peace with each other in heaven, which is quite touching.

In conclusion, "Money, Power, Respect" is a worthy debut effort from The Lox. I have yet to hear their Ruff Ryders album "We Are The Streets", which should be interesting, what with the jabs at Puffy, and a less polished sound. I also have yet to hear Jadakiss's and Styles's solo efforts, as well as their upcoming group LP around August.

If you like "Money, Power, Respect", I would also recommend Mobb Deep's "Murda Muzik".

Overall rating: 3.9 stars (rounded to 4 stars)

I think this CD ranks among the great ones. A lot of people gave it bad review's because it is a Puffy production, but the lyrics are tight and the beats as well. The lox are on of the best lyricis out there. They come up with the wickedest shiet. I personally like Bay Area rap, being from there, but lox is one of the few east cost rappers I listen to. Now that they are with Ruff Riders they have same wicked lyrics, but the beats are even better. I got the both CD's and I believe that both of them deserve a 5 even though Money, Power and Respect is better. Every song, but few, are put down with perfection.

the lox are nice but puffy tried to make them some thing they are not which is commercial rappers, i mean he tried to help but he helped a little bit to much

This must have been the worst album released last year. The Lox have no talent at all. The only good song on this album is Money, Power, Respect because it had DMX in it. It sounds like they be mumbling when the rap. Why can an East Coast rapper put out a mediocre or sometimes sorry album and get props for it but a rapper from West Coast or Down South make a mediocre album(sometimes good albums) and everybody say he or she is sorry. What's wrong with this music industry.