Lox/D-Block Article in NYTimes
coselmed
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Do people outside of New York really not know who The Lox are? 
June 2, 2005A Hip-Hop Crew That Just Won't QuitBy KELEFA SANNEH Mariah Carey capped a triumphant comeback when her latest ballad, "We Belong Together," topped the Billboard charts last week. The song is built on a slow-motion hip-hop beat and a simple plea, and it gives Ms. Carey plenty to play with; her nimble syllabic runs are as graceful as her big, breathy exhalations. Better yet, it arrived at just the right time: by topping the charts right before Memorial Day weekend, "We Belong Together" became the first No. 1 hit of the summer.But while "We Belong Together" is the latest chapter in the continuing saga of a rehabilitated diva from Long Island, it is also the latest chapter in the continuing saga of three proudly unrehabilitated thugs from Yonkers. On an irresistible remix that has been appearing on mixtapes, in clubs and even on the radio, the song gets a faster, springier backbeat. It also has new verses added by Jadakiss and Styles P., two-thirds of the Lox, a long-running hip-hop group that has built an impressive career by refusing to go away. Ubiquitous but never wildly popular, respected but not quite respectable, the members of Lox have spent the past decade perfecting their own tough (you might even say knuckleheaded) version of New York hip-hop. As a group, they haven't released an album in five years, and they're barely famous outside the Northeast. (To make matters more confusing, they're now often known as D-Block, an umbrella organization that includes some younger affiliates.) But like the incorrigible instigators they rap about, they seem to appear whenever there's a commotion.This spring, when 50 Cent belittled Jadakiss as merely a "local" star, the response was a barrage of response raps from Yonkers, including a wildly entertaining mixtape, "Year of the Wolf" (dblockonline.com), by Sheek Louch, the trio's third member. Jadakiss found a slicker way to get revenge: once his response was circulating on mixtapes, he made public an encouraging phone call from Green Lantern, the DJ for 50 Cent's ally Eminem. To keep the peace with 50 Cent, Eminem had to split from Green Lantern and find a new DJ for this summer's Anger Management tour.And on Sunday, when dozens of rappers take over Giants Stadium for the highly anticipated Hot 97 Summer Jam concert, D-Block will be among the headliners, even though the members have only one platinum plaque among them - and that for an album released seven and a half years ago.That CD was "Money, Power & Respect," the Lox's first and last release with Sean Combs. They first emerged as prot??g??s of the Notorious B.I.G., and on a 1997 B.I.G. collaboration, "Last Day," Jadakiss made his entrance, snarling, You already know what it's aboutWhen I run up in your housePut the gun up in your mouthGet the money out the couch.The trio's tenure with Mr. Combs was short and seemingly unhappy; suffice it to say that no self-respecting tough guys want to be remembered for remaking Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" as the flashy club hit "If You Think I'm Jiggy." Their great 2000 follow-up, "We Are the Streets," didn't sell as well, but it did establish the Lox as one of New York's most appealing - and most hard-nosed - crews. Jadakiss had the smooth but raspy voice, Styles P. had the lyrics and stories, and Sheek Louch had the punch lines: "Give up your chains and them little diamonds in your ear/ Is it worth your family crying and the doctor yelling, 'Clear!' ?"Since then, the Lox have made themselves part of New York City's summer soundscape. If the temperature is going up, and car windows are going down, chances are you'll soon be hearing those familiar gruff voices. (They've all released major-label solo albums; Jadakiss has released two.) They excel at matching murder rhymes with mean beats, but they also sound surprisingly good when salting up a sugary love song.In the aftermath of the 50 Cent and Eminem controversies, the Lox have been more visible than ever. Listeners wondering about the group's long history with Green Lantern can buy "2 Gunz Up" (available at mixtapekings.com), a thrilling mixtape that gathers tracks originally featured on Green Lantern releases. And Sheek Louch's "Year of the Wolf" finds him sounding invigorated by 50 Cent's taunt. The tracks are full of high-spirited threats, and when he declares, "I'm not bluffin/ Which one a y'all turkeys wann' lose stuffin'?/ It's nothin,' " Sheek sounds as if he's having the time of his life.As hip-hop's center of gravity moves ever farther South, a decade-old New York group like the Lox sounds a bit out of place - the back-to-the-block boasts and old-fashioned beats seem to belong to an earlier era. But maybe this hint of obsolescence has become part of the charm: these three brash newcomers have aged into stubborn veterans, and their rhymes remind listeners of an older and slightly rougher New York. You can hear hints of this history on the "We Belong Together" remix, in which Jadakiss and Styles P. join Ms. Carey for the kind of party where bad faith drowns in good times, where mismatches suddenly make sense. As Styles P. puts it, "Past is the past, just let it be bygones/ Matter of fact I know a fly song that we could vibe on." Cheerfully out of place, he sounds like a man who has wandered into the wrong summertime party, but so what? He figures he might as well stick around and enjoy it.http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/02/arts/music/02sann.html?8hpib
June 2, 2005A Hip-Hop Crew That Just Won't QuitBy KELEFA SANNEH Mariah Carey capped a triumphant comeback when her latest ballad, "We Belong Together," topped the Billboard charts last week. The song is built on a slow-motion hip-hop beat and a simple plea, and it gives Ms. Carey plenty to play with; her nimble syllabic runs are as graceful as her big, breathy exhalations. Better yet, it arrived at just the right time: by topping the charts right before Memorial Day weekend, "We Belong Together" became the first No. 1 hit of the summer.But while "We Belong Together" is the latest chapter in the continuing saga of a rehabilitated diva from Long Island, it is also the latest chapter in the continuing saga of three proudly unrehabilitated thugs from Yonkers. On an irresistible remix that has been appearing on mixtapes, in clubs and even on the radio, the song gets a faster, springier backbeat. It also has new verses added by Jadakiss and Styles P., two-thirds of the Lox, a long-running hip-hop group that has built an impressive career by refusing to go away. Ubiquitous but never wildly popular, respected but not quite respectable, the members of Lox have spent the past decade perfecting their own tough (you might even say knuckleheaded) version of New York hip-hop. As a group, they haven't released an album in five years, and they're barely famous outside the Northeast. (To make matters more confusing, they're now often known as D-Block, an umbrella organization that includes some younger affiliates.) But like the incorrigible instigators they rap about, they seem to appear whenever there's a commotion.This spring, when 50 Cent belittled Jadakiss as merely a "local" star, the response was a barrage of response raps from Yonkers, including a wildly entertaining mixtape, "Year of the Wolf" (dblockonline.com), by Sheek Louch, the trio's third member. Jadakiss found a slicker way to get revenge: once his response was circulating on mixtapes, he made public an encouraging phone call from Green Lantern, the DJ for 50 Cent's ally Eminem. To keep the peace with 50 Cent, Eminem had to split from Green Lantern and find a new DJ for this summer's Anger Management tour.And on Sunday, when dozens of rappers take over Giants Stadium for the highly anticipated Hot 97 Summer Jam concert, D-Block will be among the headliners, even though the members have only one platinum plaque among them - and that for an album released seven and a half years ago.That CD was "Money, Power & Respect," the Lox's first and last release with Sean Combs. They first emerged as prot??g??s of the Notorious B.I.G., and on a 1997 B.I.G. collaboration, "Last Day," Jadakiss made his entrance, snarling, You already know what it's aboutWhen I run up in your housePut the gun up in your mouthGet the money out the couch.The trio's tenure with Mr. Combs was short and seemingly unhappy; suffice it to say that no self-respecting tough guys want to be remembered for remaking Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" as the flashy club hit "If You Think I'm Jiggy." Their great 2000 follow-up, "We Are the Streets," didn't sell as well, but it did establish the Lox as one of New York's most appealing - and most hard-nosed - crews. Jadakiss had the smooth but raspy voice, Styles P. had the lyrics and stories, and Sheek Louch had the punch lines: "Give up your chains and them little diamonds in your ear/ Is it worth your family crying and the doctor yelling, 'Clear!' ?"Since then, the Lox have made themselves part of New York City's summer soundscape. If the temperature is going up, and car windows are going down, chances are you'll soon be hearing those familiar gruff voices. (They've all released major-label solo albums; Jadakiss has released two.) They excel at matching murder rhymes with mean beats, but they also sound surprisingly good when salting up a sugary love song.In the aftermath of the 50 Cent and Eminem controversies, the Lox have been more visible than ever. Listeners wondering about the group's long history with Green Lantern can buy "2 Gunz Up" (available at mixtapekings.com), a thrilling mixtape that gathers tracks originally featured on Green Lantern releases. And Sheek Louch's "Year of the Wolf" finds him sounding invigorated by 50 Cent's taunt. The tracks are full of high-spirited threats, and when he declares, "I'm not bluffin/ Which one a y'all turkeys wann' lose stuffin'?/ It's nothin,' " Sheek sounds as if he's having the time of his life.As hip-hop's center of gravity moves ever farther South, a decade-old New York group like the Lox sounds a bit out of place - the back-to-the-block boasts and old-fashioned beats seem to belong to an earlier era. But maybe this hint of obsolescence has become part of the charm: these three brash newcomers have aged into stubborn veterans, and their rhymes remind listeners of an older and slightly rougher New York. You can hear hints of this history on the "We Belong Together" remix, in which Jadakiss and Styles P. join Ms. Carey for the kind of party where bad faith drowns in good times, where mismatches suddenly make sense. As Styles P. puts it, "Past is the past, just let it be bygones/ Matter of fact I know a fly song that we could vibe on." Cheerfully out of place, he sounds like a man who has wandered into the wrong summertime party, but so what? He figures he might as well stick around and enjoy it.http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/02/arts/music/02sann.html?8hpib