Hip-Hop culture may be homogenized in 2022, with people of all races and class staking their claim within the culture, but in 1997, there was still a belief that rap music came from the lower rungs of society, and was music for the impoverished and underprivileged, rather than those born with a silver spoon. And while many rap fans and artists were happy with that divide, others, particularly The Notorious B.I.G. and Sean “Puffy” Combs, viewed things differently, going out of their way to break the glass ceiling that separates ashy from classy, resulting in the aspirational image, music, and lifestyle of Bad Boy Records. With albums like Biggie’s Ready to Die, as well as debuts from hip-hop soul acts in Faith Evans, Total, and 112, Bad Boy redefined what being young, black, and flashy was seen as, rocking high-end designer threads and mingling with power players outside of the rap community.
In March 1997, the tragic death of The Notorious B.I.G., who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, would blindside Puff and the Bad Boy family, leaving the future of the label uncertain and creating an air of paranoia. With all eyes on him, Puff, who had announced plans to pursue a rap career as a solo artist prior to The Notorious B.I.G.’s death, would respond to the adversity with his debut album, Puff Daddy & the Family: No Way Out. The LP that would showcase Bad Boy’s stable of rap talent, but more importantly, positioned Puff as the biggest star in all of rap, setting the stage for one of the more entertaining and intriguing careers in music history.
With over seven million copies sold in the U.S. alone, and its singles dominating the Billboard charts, No Way Out would be one of the biggest releases of the year, as well as the decade, and announce the next chapter in the Bad Boy legacy. In celebration of the 25th anniversary (July 1st) of its release, Vibe revisited this classic and ranked the No Way out from top-to-bottom and determined which song is the best from the album.
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"Senorita"
No Way Out may contain a murderer’s row of smash hits and memorable deep cuts, but one of the egregious blemishes on the album is “Senorita,” Puffy’s ill-advised attempt at a Latin rap ballad. Produced by Yogi from The Hitmen (Puffy’s in-house production team) and featuring samples from the Ohio Players’ “Little Lady Maria” and La India’s “No Me Conviene,” “Senorita” finds Puff wooing the woman of his dreams, whom he doesn’t mention by name. But the fact that he began dating Jennifer Lopez shortly after casting her as the love interest in the music video for “Been Around the World” makes the notion of her being the inspiration behind the song a plausible one.
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"What You Gonna Do"
A sample of Eddie Holman’s “It’s Over” serves as the foundation of the Ron “Amen-Ra” Lawrence and Nashiem Myrick produced “What You Gonna Do,” a cinematic tale of shootouts and murder attempts. “It’s a hell up in Harlem, fuck it, another day another dollar,” Puffy laments over the soulful production, as he spins a tale in the mold of The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Ni**as Bleed,” filled with subplots and supporting characters, giving it added depth. While lacking the precision of The Notorious B.I.G. in terms of execution, Puffy turns in a solid outing on “What You Gonna Do,” one of the more unsung selections from the label exec-turned-rap star’s debut.
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"Is This the End" Featuring Ginuwine, Twista & Carl Thomas
Puff Daddy and company give a nod to legendary R&B group New Edition with “Is This the End,” employing the refrain from the quartet’s 1983 classic single of the same name. Produced by Stevie J, “Is This the End” captures Puff trying his hand at a double-time flow, with serviceable results. Guest star rhyme speedster, Twista, who would be courted by Puff to ink a record deal with Bad Boy, pops up for an electric performance.
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"I Got The Power" Featuring The Lox
Puffy takes a backseat on the No Way Out banger “I Got The Power,” tackling hook duties while giving Bad Boy rooks The Lox some valuable airtime. Each member of the trio makes the most out of the opportunity to rip on the beat. Produced by Big Jaz, “I Got The Power” is one of the multiple cases on No Way Out in which Puffy introduces the future stars of Bad Boy Records, and was evidence of why Styles P., Sheek Louch, and Jadakiss were considered valuable members of the label’s nucleus.
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"Friend" Featuring Foxy Brown
“I’m looking forward to the future, Ma$e and The Lox,” Puff spits on “Friend,” a Stevie J-produced mid-tempo heater that pairs the flamboyant mogul with feisty Brooklyn femme fatale Foxy Brown. Sampling Average White Band’s “Person to Person,” Stevie J cooks up a groovy backdrop, which Puff navigates with a cocksure flow. His braggodocius bars detail his success and accolades, while Foxy Brown drops a fiery verse, which could contain veiled barbs directed at her rival and Bad Boy affiliate Lil’ Kim. Featuring background vocals from R&B vocalist Kelly Price, “Friend” is steeped in the quintessential Bad Boy sound and an enticing offering from Puff’s debut.
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"Don't Stop What You Doing" Featuring Lil' Kim
Puffy entices listeners to migrate to the dance floor with “Don’t Stop What You Doing,” an up-tempo ditty built around a sample of Yarbrough and Peoples’ 1981 chart-topper “Don’t Stop the Music.” Produced by Ron “Amen-Ra” Lawrence, “Don’t Stop What You’re Doing” features a guest appearance from Lil’ Kim and would also appear on the soundtrack to the 1997 film Soul Food, extending the song’s
reach, as it appeared on two separate albums that reached platinum status. Keeping the mood lighthearted, “Don’t Stop What You’re Doing” is a celebratory affair and in step with Bad Boy’s laundry list of club bangers, and yet another example of Puff’s midas touch. -
"Pain"
One of the album’s more somber inclusions, “Pain” captures Puffy addressing the tragedy that has plagued his life, from the death of his father, the 1991 incident at City College that resulted in the deaths of multiple people, and the 1997 murder of The Notorious B.I.G. earlier that year. Containing some of the more revealing lyrics of Puff’s career, “Pain” finds him rapping “learned the hard way, ain’t no correcting the grief/Baby-Mom start sexing my so-called beef,” a reference to Misa Hylton’s fling with Suge Knight, CEO of Death Row Records.
Over Nashiem Myrick production, “Pain” is one of the more haunting selections in the Bad Boy catalog and a rare moment of vulnerability on the part of Puff, making it one of the more moving offerings on No Way Out.
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"Do You Know"
The dark cloud hovering about Puff Daddy in the aftermath of the death of The Notorious B.I.G. gets touched upon on “Do You Know.” This cut details the paranoia that’s engulfed his psyche since the murder of his flagship artist. Giving a summary of his own rise to fame before sharing a cautionary of a promiscuous woman who loses herself to her sketchy lifestyle, Puff delivers a gem with “Do You Know.” The song is for those attempting to find their footing, escape the madness of their past and move forward in life.
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"Young Gs" Featuring The Notorious B.I.G. & Jay-Z
After teaming up on “Brooklyn’s Finest” and “I Love The Dough,” The Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z matched wits for the third and final time on “Young Gs,” a track that left rap stans salivating at the possibilities of two of the game’s best lyricists together on wax. Although Puffy manages to score a slick couplet or two, his verse quickly becomes an afterthought as two of Brooklyn’s favorite sons each deliver stanzas that are littered with intricate rhyme schemes, subtle jewels pertaining to life, and their lavish lifestyles. While who had the better verse is highly debatable, what cannot be argued is “Young Gs” standing as a classic collaborations between three legends and it being one of the more pivotal inclusions on No Way Out.
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"I Love You Baby" Featuring Black Rob
Every so often, a rap artist manages to build a reputation based upon a flawless guest performance that is too good to deny, which was the case with Black Rob following his performance on “I Love You Baby,” his lone appearance on No Way Out. After appearing on remix’s from Bad Boy’s R&B talent, Black Rob would get his big break with “I Love You Baby,” a sleeper cut that would ultimately become regarded as one of the most memorable moments on the album.
A masterful storyteller, Black Rob keeps listeners on the edge of their seats with a street story for the ages. Ron “Amen-Ra” Lawrence and Jay “Waxx” Garfield co-produced this composition, which stands as one of the premier offering on No Way Out two decades later, for our money.
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"I'll Be Missing You" Featuring Faith Evans & 112
The death of The Notorious B.I.G. left the hip-hop community in a state of uncertainty, particularly Puffy and Bad Boy Records, with many wondering how the label would bounce back in the aftermath. In grand fashion, Puffy would answer that question with “I’ll Be Missing You,” a song dedicated to the memory of his artist and close friend that would go down as one of the most moving tributes in music history.
Released in May 1997, “I’ll Be Missing You” would peak at No. 1 on the Hot 100, holding the slot for 11 consecutive weeks and ending the year as one of the biggest hits of 1997. Produced by Stevie J and powered by a sample of The Police’s 1983 hit “Every Breath You Take,” “I’ll Be Missing You” channeled Puffy and the Bad Boy family’s grief and turned it into a triumphant rallying cry and a vow to their fallen comrade to keep making hits, continuous.
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"Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" Featuring Ma$e
1997 would not only be a monstrous year for Puff Daddy but would also mark the meteoric rise of Bad Boy member Ma$e, who would emerge as Bad Boy’s new franchise player in the aftermath of The Notorious B.I.G.’s death.
Appearing on No Way Out‘s lead single “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down,” Ma$e followed up his scene-stealing contribution to 112’s “Only You (Remix)” with an appearance on a single that topped the Billboard charts for six weeks, introducing himself to the mainstream in a major way. Trading verses with Puff and boasting about his material wealth and celebrity, Ma$e helped usher in Bad Boy’s brief ‘Shiny Suit Era’ with “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down,” which also announced Puff as a bonafide rap star.
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"Been Around the World" Featuring The Notorious B.I.G. & Ma$e
Lisa Stansfield’s “All Around the World” gets interpolated by The Notorious B.I.G. on “Been Around the World,” a track that pairs Bad Boy’s three biggest rap stars and serves as one of the album’s main events. Produced by Ron “Amen-Ra” Lawrence and Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie, the song’s backdrop utilizes a sample of rocker David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance.”
The track is bolstered with glossy wrinkles and steeped in the glitz that defined Bad Boy singles from that era. Released as the fourth single from No Way Out, “Been Around the World” includes steady performances by both Puffy and Ma$e, while The Notorious B.I.G. shines on the hook, resulting in a classic record from the trio. And when you mention the J.Lo cameo in the accompanying music video, what else is there to say about the greatness that is “Been Around the World?” Exactly.
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"All About the Benjamins" Featuring The Notorious B.I.G., Lil’ Kim & The Lox
Having essentially “invented” the remix six years prior during his time molding Jodeci into the most influential male r&b group of the ’90s, Puffy was a master in the art by the time No Way Out arrived.
Inspired to take things up another notch with his debut, Puff decided to rework a mixtape cut titled “All About the Benjamins,” which featured him rapping alongside The Lox for No Way Out. Adding Lil Kim to the mix, as well as the first posthumous verse from The Notorious B.I.G. that the world would hear, “All About the Benjamins (Remix)” was the album’s third single.
The track would continue Bad Boy’s assault on the Billboard charts, landing at No. 2 on the Hot 100, and be equally successful on radio, in the club, and on the streets. It stands as one of the definitive moments during the peak of the label’s reign over the rap world.
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"Victory" Featuring The Notorious B.I.G. & Busta Rhymes
Puff Daddy‘s greatest skill as an executive and music man has always been his ability to put the right people together in a room and have that translate into a hit record. On No Way Out, he accomplished this with multiple songs and pushed the album to sell over seven million copies in the U.S. alone. While his debut album is based around seismic hits that would define the year in rap, its most explosive selection would be a marginal success on the Billboard charts and stray from Bad Boy’s formula of taking popular songs from the past and refurbishing them for the modern rap audience.
That song, the opening salvo “Victory,” is an audio head-crack with 4 minutes and 56 seconds of lyrical brilliance on the part of The Notorious B.I.G. and Puff Daddy. It’s topped off with the unbridled fury that Busta Rhymes brings, making it a perfect storm of a record. Produced by Stevie J and sampling Bill Conti’s Going the Distance,” “Victory” is as visceral as any album opener there is. The Notorious B.I.G.’s dialogue with the studio engineer and Busta Rhymes’ animated adlibs shrieks on the hook and adlibs add to the ambiance.
Despite being gone in the physical, the spirit of The Notorious B.I.G. was revived with this posthumous pair of verses, showcasing the Brooklyn native’s immense presence and ability to own a track even in the afterlife. Other songs from the album may have become pop culture staples, broke records, or helped establish careers, but “Victory” stands in a class of its own and remains a symbol of triumph, as well as the crown jewel of No Way Out decades later.