Styles P’s first solo album, 2002’s A Gangster and a Gentleman, was basically an extension of his group The LOX.
It wasn’t until four years later that we learned who he really was. We got to experience the type of solo MC he really could be. All this was revealed when the Younkers rhymer dropped this classic.
Hip-hop had changed dramatically in the early 2000s.
Tracks were simpler, more danceable.
Lyrics were less complex.
MCs worked closer with R&B acts than ever before, blurring the lines between Hip Hop and pop-inspired rhythm and blues.
Some said rap got softer. With Time Is Money shows Styles-P followed the formula of the changing times but got it right.
With production by Scott Storch (“Real Shit” featuring the late great Gerald Levert), The Alchemist (“I’m Black” featuring Marsha Ambrosius), Hi-Tek (“Testify” featuring Reflection Eternal), and Havok (“How We Live” featuring group mate Jadakiss), his songs were creative, thought-provoking, and smooth without losing his edge.
On the microphone here, Styles P was all-time great. |THIS.
[By Mr. Joe Walker]
