Lox Bio from Ruffryders2000.com

The lox ain't shit. That is when it comes to putting out garbage that the streets can't feel. Presently, the masses that are ignorant to the true life force of Hip-Hop want easy to digest, microwavable ear sweets that they can wave glasses of cheap champagne to. It's too bad that the Lox can't provide that. They're too busy improving style and rhyme flow that influenced an entire wave of emcee. Pay attention to the majority of uptown and Harlem based rappers and you will hear the lyrical path that Jason "jadakiss" Phillips, David Styles, and Sean "Sheik" Jacobs laid down for the rest. Even though they've sprinkled their sharply spiked lyrics over softer hits by the likes of Mariah Carey ("Honey"), LSG ("you Got Me") and Mona Lisa ("I Just Wanna Please You") the Lox have the uncanny ability to create true to life verses that give any song a ghetto pass into the hearts of the rough and rugged. "Even if we rhyme on some commercial shit we still keep it street," Styles confirms. So let it be known, The Lox absolutely suck at spitting that ol' fake stuff that dung lovers are afraid of. In 1994, the Lox started their saga in the Ruff Ryders team (as a group called the Warlocks) in Yonkers, New York that bred platinum heavy-hitters Mary J. Blige and DMX. It was the ghetto songstress Blige who helped to open the politically padlocked doors for the hungry emcees. "We were always tight with Mary, " says Sheik. "She always used to listen to us when we were on the mix tapes and she introduced us to Puff." Once in contact with the multi-million dollar producer/artist/entrepreneur, The Lox (which now stands for Living Off eXperience) penned monstrous hits for him such as Biggie's "Victory", Puffy's "Seniorita", and Mase's "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" (remix) and Faith's "You Used To Love me". In 1997 The Lox went to bat and grand slammed with their soul-warming memorial to the Notorious B.I.G. "We'll Always Love Big Poppa" which reached sales in the millions. Soon after their verbal sorcery was unleashed on the '97 club Bangor "It's All About The Benjamins". "We didn't like it at first," Jadakiss recalls. "D-Dot (Deric Angelettie) gave us a beat and we just did it." Little did they know their abrasive delivery and quick wit launched them into the spotlight making them the recording industry's most wanted. The Lox became a hood-hold name and their buzz was incredible. When the Lox' debut album "Money, Power, & Respect" hit the shelves in 1998, the momentum was unstoppable. The title track featuring Lil' Kim captivated listeners and further established The Lox as a powerful entity that stood alone from bad Boy Records flashy, playboy image. They were dubbed Bad Boy's "Underground group" which solidified the label's street credibility. However, the trio was unhappy with the way their project was being presented and entered into a conflict with their manufactured appearance of floss. "That wasn't us, we're straight up street, " says Sheik. "We weren't happy around the shiny suits and fancy stuff. We've never been that." Time continued to tick by as The Lox wrestled with the red tape of company politics and they became frustrated. This frustration leaked onto the streets when fans initiated a full "Free The Lox" campaign full of picket signs, T-shirts, and protest. In 1999, Sean "Puffy" Combs decided to let The Lox out of their contract to travel their own road where they returned to their foundation with Ruff Ryders. "The Lox were always Ruff Ryders", Jadakiss explains. "We had to be sacrificed (to the industry) so all the others could come through." Now back at home with the Ruff Ryders camp, The Lox have hooked up with production wizard Swizz Beats to release their riot hymn, "Wild Out" from their sophomore album "We Are The Streets". The Joy of returning to their street rots is evident through the album. On the title track, their hook, "It ain't hot unless we on it 'cat/we are the streets and we makin' it hard to eat," expresses both their confidence and hunger to remain the true representatives of the real. Making sure not to exclude other beatmasters, The lox have solicited the talents of other producers such as DJ Premier of Gangstarr, Timbaland, to round out the album's musical scope. Lyrically, the team has recruited artists outside of the Ruff Ryders camp like their Yonkers peer Kasino to rock as well. All these powerful elements combined helps The Lox ingenious goal defining every detail of street life worldwide. During their struggling period with Bad Boy, The Lox continued to assault listeners with reminders of their existence and promise of a full return. During that time, they flipped devastating prose on the Ruff Ryders "Ryde Or Die Vol.1" album, Mary J. Bilge's "Mary", and DMX' "Blood Of My Blood, Flesh Of My Flesh." They also blazed on underground joints with Capone & Noreaga, Kasino, and Funkmaster Flex. Knowing that silence is death in the rap game, The Lox made sure to make their presence felt. As it seems even if they were to try to be wack, The Lox couldn't do it. They defeated the obstacle of making a name from the ground up; they smashed through the contractual bullshit and still kept the streets locked down. With all the problems they faced, the anticipation grows greater for the next Lox record. If anyone is looking for the Lox to fall off and fail, tough luck, it won't happen any time soon.