Styles P

Styles P

Styles P performing at the Sound Academy in Toronto 2014.
Background information
Birth name David Styles
Also known as Styles
Born (1974-11-28) November 28, 1974
Origin Yonkers, New York, USA
Genres Hip hop
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • author
  • entrepreneur
Years active 1993–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website http://www.stylesp.net

David Styles (born November 28, 1974), better known by his stage name, Styles P, is an American rapper, author, and entrepreneur. He is prominently known as a member of Hip Hop group The LOX, founder of D-Block Records and is also a part of the Ruff Ryders hip-hop group, and in addition has released multiple albums and mixtapes as a solo MC. In 2002, he released his debut album A Gangster and a Gentleman. He went on to release Time is Money (2006), Super Gangster (Extraordinary Gentleman) (2007), Master of Ceremonies (2011), The World's Most Hardest MC Project (2012), Float (2013), Phantom and the Ghost (2014), and A Wise Guy and a Wise Guy (2015).

Musical career

Styles P, a member of The LOX and the larger D-Block Hip-Hop collective, grew up in Yonkers, New York rapping alongside Jadakiss (Jason Phillips) and Sheek Louch (Shawn Jacobs).[1] In their late teens the trio met Mary J. Blige who was so impressed with their tough street east coast lyrics, she gave them a big break by putting their demo in the hands of Sean “Diddy” Combs.[1] Diddy immediately hired the trio to write for Bad Boy Records. With the label, The LOX quickly started collaborating on hits with Diddy, the Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and Mariah Carey which gave them instant notoriety and status within the hip-hop and mainstream charts.[1]

In 1996 and 1997, the group wrote and performed on a number of Diddy hits, including "It's All About the Benjamins" and "I Got the Power", Mase's "24 Hrs. to Live", Mariah Carey's "Honey", the Notorious B.I.G.'s "Last Day", and Mary J. Blige's "Can’t Get You Off My Mind".[2] In 1997 The LOX received international acclaim when their tribute to the late Biggie Smalls, "We’ll Always Love Big Poppa", was picked as the B-side track from Diddy’s No Way Out album (3x Platinum) with the number one hit, "I'll Be Missing You".[2] This single was the most played hit in 1997, which opened the door for The LOX first solo album debut in January 1998 entitled Money, Power & Respect (Certified Platinum).[3] Though the album was a chart-topping success, The LOX felt the glossy image of Bad Boy Records conflicted with their grimier rap aesthetic and therefore cut their ties and moved on to Ruff Ryder Records.[4]

After another LOX album, We Are the Streets (2000) and appearing on albums with Ruff Ryders, Styles released his first solo album, A Gangster and a Gentleman, in 2002.[5] Four years later he released his second album Time is Money on Ruff Ryders which was followed by Super Gangster (Extraordinary Gentleman) a year later.[5] After recording many mixtapes Styles returned to the Hip-Hop scene by releasing two retail albums in 2010, The Green Ghost Project with DJ Green Lantern on Invasion Records and The Ghost Dub-Dime a retail mixtape on E1 Records (formally Koch Records).[6][7] This began a string of annual retail releases with his fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh albums (2011's Master of Ceremonies, 2012's The World's Most Hardest MC Project, 2013's Float, and 2014's Phantom and the Ghost) all being released within a year of each other.[8][9][10][11]

Other projects

Styles P released his first novel Invincible in 2010[12] through Random House Publishing Group.[13] In 2011 he opened up a juice bar in Bronx, New York called Juices for Life with his business partners Nyger Rollocks and Leo Galvez.[14][15] He released his EP with CurrenSy titled, #The1st28 on February 28, 2012.[16]

Discography

Studio albums
Collaboration albums

Bibliography

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ortiz, Edwin (2014-01-23). "Jadakiss Talks About Growing Up In Yonkers and The LOX's Relationship with Mary J. Blige - The Combat Jack Show". Complex. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
  2. 1 2 Vibe (2010-09-28). "Story Time: Sheek Louch Recalls Studio Sessions With DMX, Biggie & Jay-Z". Vibe. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
  3. ↑ Stephen Thomas Erlewine (1998-01-13). "Money, Power & Respect - The LOX | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
  4. ↑ Baker, Soren (2006-10-14). "More Grime Than Shine, the LOX Moves On - latimes". Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
  5. 1 2 Birchmeier, Jason (1974-11-28). "Styles P". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  6. ↑ Matt Rinaldi (2010-02-09). "The Green Ghost Project - DJ Green Lantern,Styles P | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
  7. ↑ "The Ghost Dub-Dime Mixtape - Styles P | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
  8. ↑ Jeffries, David (2011-10-04). "Master of Ceremonies - Styles P". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  9. ↑ Molina, Nick De (December 1, 2012). "Styles P, The World’s Most Hardest MC Project Review". XXL. Harris Publications. Archived from the original on November 28, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  10. ↑ Horowitz, Steven J. (February 25, 2013). "Styles P Announces New Album "Float," Produced Entirely By Scram Jones". HipHop DX. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  11. ↑ Smith, Bruce. "Styles P - Phantom And The Ghost". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  12. ↑ Reid, Shaheem (2010-06-01). "Styles P Releases Debut Novel 'Invincible,' Written On His BlackBerry - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  13. 1 2 "BARNES & NOBLE | Invincible by Styles P, Random House Publishing Group | NOOK Book (eBook), Paperback". Barnesandnoble.com. 2010-01-06. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  14. ↑ "Styles P Opens Fresh Juice Bar in the Bronx". The Boombox. 2011-04-25. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  15. ↑ "Community Newspaper Group". Yournabe.com. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  16. ↑ Breihan, Tom (2012-02-29). "Mixtape Of The Week: Styles P & Curren$y #The1st28". Stereogum. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
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