| No Way Out | ||||
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| Studio album by Puff Daddy & the Family | ||||
| Released | July 22, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1996–1997 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop, pop rap, Mafioso Rap | |||
| Length | 67:51 | |||
| Label | Bad Boy | |||
| Producer | Sean "Puffy" Combs (exec.), Christopher Wallace (exec.), Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie (exec.), The Hitmen (including Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie, Steven "Stevie J" Jordan, Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence, Nashiem Myrick, Carlos "6 July" Broady, Jeffery "J-Dub" Walker, & Yogi), Black Jeruz, Big Jaz | |||
| Puff Daddy & the Family chronology | ||||
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| Singles from No Way Out | ||||
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No Way Out is the debut studio album by American hip-hop artist Puff Daddy, released on July 22, 1997 through record label Bad Boy Records. The label also receives official crediting on the album as "The Family", and the album's guest appearances are largely made up of the label's artists. Production is largely handled by Puff Daddy (real name Sean Combs) and various members of production group The Hitmen. The album, executively produced by Combs himself, The Notorious B.I.G. and Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie of The Hitmen, is predominantly rap-based, although it features generally introspective content, largely focused on close friend The Notorious B.I.G.'s killing on March 9, 1997: however, the album features several more aggressive and positive songs recorded before the shooting. Originally titled Hell Up In Harlem,[1] the album underwent several changes after the death of his close friend emotionally affected Combs, who postponed the album in order to record several of the album's more emotional songs.
Upon its release, No Way Out was a significant commercial success, particularly in the United States where it reached number one on the Billboard 200 in its first week of release, selling 561,000 copies. It also produced five commercially successful singles, the most successful of these being the worldwide hit "I'll Be Missing You", a tribute song aimed at The Notorious B.I.G., which became the first rap song ever to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and remained at the top of the chart for eleven consecutive weeks, whilst topping several other charts worldwide. The other four singles, the Billboard hits "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down", "It's All About the Benjamins", "Been Around the World" and "Victory", were also commercially successful, and all except the latter peaked in the top two positions of the Billboard Hot 100.
The album also received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics, who generally wrote positively about its emotional feel and its production, but were divided in their reviews towards Puff Daddy's rapping and songwriting. On September 7, 2000, the album was certified septuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of 7,000,000+ copies:[2] to date, it remains Combs' most commercially successful album. The album earned Combs five nominations at the 40th Grammy Awards in 1998, winning the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.[3]
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When asked about the meaning behind the album’s name, Puff Daddy said it was because after The Notorious B.I.G.’s death on March 9 earlier in the year; he felt that there was “No Way Out” of the way things were. The album was filled with some of the emotions Puff Daddy felt in mourning of his close friend the Notorious B.I.G. In the song “Is this the end?” Puff Daddy talks about experiencing the drive by in Los Angeles that took his friends life. The album was originally titled Hell Up in Harlem until The Notorious B.I.G.'s death. The album topped the album charts in the US with 561,000 units sold in its first week of release, debuting at #1. On September 27, 1997 “No Way Out” was number one on Jet Magazine’s top 20 albums. The album topped music charts as number one for 6 months after its initial release. The album won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. Alongside the album’s Grammy, one of the album’s hits, “It’s all about the Benjamin’s” won the Viewer’s Choice Award at the MTV Music video awards in September 1998. On September 7, 2000 the RIAA certified the album 7.00X Multi Platinum.
At the end of the 1998, out of the 10 songs to reach number one of the Billboard Hot 100 list, four of these belonged to Bad Boy Records, Puff Daddy’s record label which released his album. Out of the 52 weeks of the year, Bad Boy Records had a hit at number one for 22 weeks. The album had two Billboard Hot 100 number one singles, "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" and "I'll Be Missing You," and two number two singles, "Been Around the World" and "It's All about the Benjamins". The longest reign of any of the label’s four hits was the hit “I’ll be missing you” which topped the charts for 11 weeks. The inspiration for the album’s hit “I’ll be missing you” comes from The Police’s 1983 hit “Every Breath You Take.” A year after the praise at both award ceremonies, Puff Daddy’s success led him to be named as one of Forbes’ 40 highest-paid entertainers alongside southern rapper Master P, and TV’s Oprah Winfrey. The music video of “Been around the world” Puff Daddy romances actress Jennifer Lopez in a fictional storyline. This video began to spread rumors of the two celebrities being in a very serious relationship. Furthermore, the music video for "Victory" is one of the most expensive videos ever made.[4] A song titled "No Way Out" by Puff Daddy appears on the soundtrack to the film Money Talks, but is not included on the album.
All tracks except "Young G's" were produced by members of Bad Boy Records' in house production team, The Hitmen.
| # | Title | Length | Featured Artists | Producer(s) | Samples and interpolations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "No Way Out" (Intro) | 1:22 | Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen | ||
| 2 | "Victory" | 4:56 | The Notorious B.I.G. & Busta Rhymes | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen |
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| 3 | "Been Around the World" | 5:25 | The Notorious B.I.G. & Mase | Sean "Puffy" Combs, Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie, & Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence for The Hitmen |
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| 4 | "What You Gonna Do?" | 4:55 | Sean "Puffy" Combs, Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence, & Nashiem Myrick for The Hitmen |
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| 5 | "Don't Stop What You're Doing" | 3:58 | Lil' Kim | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence for The Hitmen |
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| 6 | "If I Should Die Tonight" (Interlude) | 2:59 | Carl Thomas | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Jeffery "J-Dub" Walker for The Hitmen |
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| 7 | "Do You Know?" | 6:06 | Kelly Price | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie for The Hitmen |
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| 8 | "Young G's" | 5:25 | The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z & Kelly Price | Rashad Smith |
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| 9 | "I Love You Baby" | 4:03 | Black Rob | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence for The Hitmen |
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| 10 | "It's All About The Benjamins (Remix)" | 4:38 | The Notorious B.I.G., The L.O.X. & Lil' Kim | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie for The Hitmen |
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| 11 | "Pain" | 5:08 | Carl Thomas | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Nashiem Myrick for The Hitmen |
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| 12 | "Is This the End?" | 4:34 | Carl Thomas, Ginuwine & Twista | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen | |
| 13 | "I Got the Power" | 4:05 | The L.O.X. | Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen & Big Jaz | |
| 14 | "Friend" | 6:37 | Foxy Brown & Simone Hines | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen |
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| 15 | "Señorita" | 4:07 | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Yogi for The Hitmen |
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| 16 | "I'll Be Missing You" | 5:43 | Faith Evans & 112 | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen |
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| 17 | "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" | 3:51 | Mase | Sean "Puffy" Combs, Carlos "6 July" Broady, & Nashiem Myrick for The Hitmen |
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Credits for No Way Out adapted from Allmusic.[5]
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| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart[6] | 17 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[7] | 9 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[8] | 24 |
| Canadian Albums Chart[9] | 1 |
| Dutch Albums Chart[10] | 6 |
| French Albums Chart[11] | 18 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart[12] | 12 |
| UK Albums Chart[13] | 8 |
| US Billboard 200[9] | 1 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[9] | 1 |
| Preceded by Men in Black: The Album by Various artists The Art of War by Bone Thugs N Harmony The Dance by Fleetwood Mac |
Billboard 200 number-one album August 9–16, 1997 August 23 - September 5, 1997 September 13–19, 1997 |
Succeeded by The Art of War by Bone Thugs N Harmony The Dance by Fleetwood Mac Ghetto D by Master P |
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