Styles P is regarded as one of hip-hop’s most versatile emcees. Beginning his career as part of the epic Yonkers supergroup The LOX, the rapper (real name David Styles) also cemented himself as an exceptional solo emcee outside the group.
Comprised of Styles P, Sheek Louch and Jadakiss, The LOX began their musical journey in their hometown of Yonkers, a suburb of New York City and aimed to follow in the footsteps of DMX, an emcee from their area who had taken over hip-hop.
Upon their arrival, The LOX became a staple of early 2000s hip-hop and as solo artists, most notably Jadakiss, began to rise up the ranks of rap, each becoming a star in their own right. Styles P (real name David Styles) was a very prominent figure in the culture, with his 2002 debut album, A Gangster and a Gentleman, managing to reach number six on the Billboard 200.
Since 2002, Styles has released seven full-length studio albums, the last of which was his 2018 project, G-Host. As a lyricist raised in the state in which hip-hop was born, Styles’ musical journey has seen him influenced by a range of acts, from his older Yonkers counterpart DMX to New York City MCs such as KRS-One.
That said in an interview on 50 Cent’s ThisIs50 YouTube channel, Styles spoke about and even rapped what he believes to be the most incredible rap verse of all time. Revealing his gem, The LOX rapper exclaimed, “One of my favourite verses is my brother B.I.G.”
The lyricist then proceeded to rap the opening verses to ‘N*ggas Bleed’ by Biggies Smalls, rhyming, “Today’s agenda got the suitcase up in the Sentra, go to room 112, tell ’em Blanco sent ya / Feel the strangest if no money exchanges I got these kids in Ranges to leave them niggas brainless / All they tote is stainless. You just remain as / Calm as possible, make the deal go through / If not, here’s 12 shots, we know how you do / Please make yo killin’s clean. Slugs up in between.”
He continued, “They eyes, like True Lies / Kill ’em and flee the scene / Just bring back the coke or the cream / Or else, yo’ life is on the shelf/ We mean this Frank / Them cats we fuckin’ wit’ put bombs in yo’ mom’s gas tank / Let’s get this money baby /They shady, we get shady / Dress up like ladies.”
‘N*ggas Bleed’ appeared on the first disc of Biggie Smalls’ 1997 final album, Life After Death. The track was produced by Stevie J and Diddy. It’s main melody is a sample from the 1972 track ‘Hey Who Really Cares?’ by The Whispers.
You can hear Styles P interview on ThisIs50 in the video below
