There are few who’ve graced hip-hop in the way in which that Styles P has.
The proud son of Yonkers has led an illustrious profession for the reason that Nineteen Nineties. He’s done so not only as a solo artist but in addition alongside Jadakiss and Sheek Louch within the rap trio referred to as the Lox.
After so many hits and so a few years in the sport, the rap legend has reached a closing chapter in his profession. Styles P told me on this week’s “Renaissance Man” that his upcoming solo album will probably be the ultimate one.
“I feel I’ve put in greater than my work as a solo artist and I feel it’s necessary to exit on your individual terms,” Styles P said, also boasting that he’s “put out more solo albums than most individuals I got here in the sport with.”
Rest assured, the 914 superstar — one who was mentored by the late, great DMX — will still be involved with the Lox and plenty of more collaborations within the years to come back. As for at once, a break from the booth is precisely what Styles P says he needs.
“There’s other things I need to do, so I needed to knock something off,” he said. “So I figured, ‘Hey, I even have enough solo projects and that’s the one to knock off.’”
The plan for Styles P is to branch out and focus more on upcoming TV and literature projects that he has a passion for. By opening the health food brands Farmacy for Life and Juices for Life, he’s also grow to be quite the entrepreneur. The latter has locations in Yonkers, The Bronx and Brooklyn.
As for the ultimate solo album, what Styles P has in store is certain to be phenomenal.
“You’ll definitely get all features of me as an emcee … I’ll give that sort of effort to ensure I’ll exit with a bang,” he said, adding that “there’s definitely, probably a number of young greats that I’ll go for” to collaborate with on the project — but provided that the beat is correct for them.
“I’m an enormous J. Cole fan. I’m an enormous Kendrick [Lamar] fan. [Rick] Ross and myself make good music, I’m a Nas fan,” the rapper added. “You recognize I like freestyling over R&B, I’m a H.E.R. fan, I’m a Jazmine Sullivan fan. I’m a fan of a variety of people, so we’ll see.”
In fact, it’s a lock that his fellow Lox members may also make an appearance on Styles P’s epic finale.
It must be mentioned that he’s also shifting his profession at a time when the rap game has modified — particularly within the overly friendly ways in which hip-hop artists collaborate now.
“They’re not competitive enough against one another. I personally feel such as you get on a track with anyone, it’s purported to be a business,” Styles P said. “While you get in a studio, you’re purported to be attempting to air him out. Not diss him … but in the event that they’re gonna drop a double double, you need to ensure you drop a triple double.”
Putting it simply, he firmly believes that there’s no love lost if you shoot to be top dog and it makes everyone within the booth higher due to it.
“You would like your team to win, however it’s not such as you’re rooting for anyone else to get player of the sport,” Styles P said. “Steel sharpening steel brings the very best out of you and it brings a way of brotherly competition.”
Detroit native Jalen Rose is a member of the University of Michigan’s iconoclastic Fab Five, who shook up the faculty hoops world within the early ’90s. He played 13 seasons within the NBA before transitioning right into a media personality. Rose executive-produced “The Fab Five” for ESPN’s “30 for 30” series, is the creator of the best-selling book “Got To Give the People What They Want,” a fashion tastemaker and co-founded the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, a public charter school in his hometown.