Puff Daddy & The Family
To others he is an egomaniac who spends too much time dancing in videos and lending his less-than-average rap vocals on too many ubiquitous samples. Yet whatever you think of the man, Sean "Puffy" Combs a.k.a. Puff Daddy has definitely become a legend in his own time. Combs' story reads like a traditional New York "American Dream" tale tailor-made for Disney. As a young hip-hop fan with dreams of running his own record company Combs received an internship at Uptown Records, which was run by his idol and soon-to-be mentor Andre Harrell. The internship quickly led to a vice president position where he created and shaped the careers of Jodeci and Mary J. Blige. Harrell fired Combs after the two disagreed over the direction the label should take. The firing prompted Combs to make a serious life decision, and he went on to fulfill his dream of running his own record company -- Bad Boy Records -- at the age of 24. As CEO of Bad Boy Records, Combs introduced the world to Craig Mack (who has since left Bad Boy), Faith Evans, Total and 112, all of whom have reached gold and/or platinum status with their debut recordings. The cornerstone act on the label was and still is the late Notorious B.I.G. a.k.a. Biggie Smalls. Weaving tales of ghetto life over rich hip-hop and R&B samples, Biggie's Ready To Die became a hip-hop classic and Comb's (who at times seemed more like Biggie's brother than his boss) became a major force in the music industry. The duo seemed unstoppable. The hitmaking team of Combs and Smalls had become the Scorcese and Deniro of hip-hop. However, just like a scene out of Good Fellas, Biggie was murdered in streets. The incident not only left Bad Boy without its top star, but Combs lost his best friend -- a friend who had inspired him to make his first solo album only months earlier.
No Way Out features a truckload of guest appearance from rappers like B.I.G., Busta Rhymes, Lil' Kim, The Lox, Foxy Brown and Jay-Z. Although one would think that there are too many guests for a debut rap album, think again. Though he is certainly a skilled producer of rap, Combs is not a rapper and he doesn't consider himself one. Instead he calls himself an entertainer (this word may cause you to think of another dancing "entertainer" with limited rap skills -- M.C. Hammer -- though you shouldn't confuse him with Puffy). In a year where Hanson is a new, more talented version of New Kids on The Block, Combs is a new, more talented version of Hammer, the former KFC spokesperson. While Hammer had limited creativity and an even worse business sense, Combs not only understands the importance of being a smart businessman (along with Bad Boy Entertainment he owns a Daddy's House, a recording studio, and Justin's -- a restaurant named after his son) but also what it takes to make a hit rap record: surround yourself with people who can rap and use phat, funky hooks to entice your audience. By all accounts, No Way Out is a textbook lesson on how to create a rap album if you have limited skills. No Way Out starts with thunderous thrust of funk with anthem pumping victory as Combs, a lyrical fierce Biggie and an even more fanatical Busta Rhymes glide over Bill Conti's "Alone in The Ring" (from Rocky). The song is hip-hop classic. The building pace of Conti's music is the perfect vehicle for the insane Busta Rhymes, while Biggie's excellent rhyming skills are further proof that his talented light was extinguished far too soon. The same "hip-hop classic" tag can be placed on the hypnotic "All About the Benjamin's" which once again features Combs, Biggie along with Lil' Kim and The Lox. This is what hip-hop is all about: phat lyrics, a head noddin' groove and an out-the-blue break where Biggie flows like Ali in Manila. Another excellent song is "Pain." On this one Combs goes deep into his soul and talks about tragedies that have plagued him since his father was murdered when he was young. Although the played out tribute song "I'm Still Missing You" is a major hit, it lacks the true essence of how Combs felt about death. Pain is not portrayed by easy samples or trite lyrics, but Combs checks his ego at the door and ponders the meaning of life. Other stand out cuts on No Way Out include the Biggie-inspired "What You Gonna Do?" and "I Love You Baby" (featuring Black Rob), "If I Should Die Tonight interlude" (featuring promising singer Carl Thomas), the club pumping "Don't Stop What You're Doing" (featuring Lil' Kim) and the Bone Thugs and Harmony-esque "Is This The End." The only drawbacks to No Way Out are that some of the samples are totally misused and overused. "I'll Be Missing You" (sung to the tune of The Police's "I'll Be Watching You") and "Can't Hold Me Down" make you appreciate the talents of The Police and Grand Master Flash and Furious Five even more. "Been Around The World" also borrows too heavily from David Bowie's "Let's Dance." Also, sometimes Combs' weaker rhyming skills interrupt the superior flow of the other rappers.
Since emerging on Combs' breakout hit "Can't Hold Me Down," Mase has enjoyed success that should be reserved for grizzled veterans like Gangstarr or The Jungle Brothers. Although he is not the worst rapper ever to appear on wax, his slurred rhyming style is reminiscent of early EPMD, only without their talent and originality. Overall Combs along with his team of co-producers (Stevie J, Ron Lawrence, Deric Angelettie, Nashiem Myrick, J-Dub, Rashad Smith, Carlos Broady, Yogi, Jazz) has crafted an album that is not exactly a hip-hop classic, but one that will definitely keep jeeps bumpin' for the rest of the year. Although it remains to be seen how Combs and Bad Boy Records will fair without B.I.G. (There's a rumor that there might be another Notorious B.I.G. album released in December), radio stations will be flooded with Combs-produced music from Mariah Carey, SWV, Boyz II Men, Queen Latifah, L.L. Cool J and Arethra Franklin.
So for nay-sayers who still do not like Combs or his music, just pay
attention to the chorus of "Can't Hold Me Down," which pretty much
explains this man's philosophy: Not bad for young man with a dream.
KEVIN CHARLES WILLIAM LOCKET, klocket@uakron.edu,
known as Kaz for short, is a graduate from The University of Akron with
a degree in Communications. He loves music (except country), the "X-Files,"
basketball and Nia Long. In the future he would like to build the biggest
media corporation in the world.
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To some he is a hit maker bred on hip-hop who continues to influence the
world of R&B and hip-hop music with his trend setting marketing skills
and booty shaking jams.
Originally titled Hell Up In Harlem, Combs' debut album was shelved
after Biggie's senseless death. Tragically though, B.I.G.'s murder may
have made the retitled No Way Out a more cohesive piece of work.
The only rapper that Combs seems to outperform on a regular basis is his
current rapping partner Mase, who should be forever called the "luckiest
man in hip-hop."
