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No Way Out (Puff Daddy album)

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No Way Out
Studio album by
Puff Daddy & the Family
ReleasedJuly 22, 1997
Recorded1996–1997
Genre
Length77:52
Label
Producer
Puff Daddy & the Family chronology
No Way Out
(1997) 		Forever
(1999)
Singles from No Way Out
  1. "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down"
    Released: January 7, 1997
  2. "I'll Be Missing You"
    Released: May 27, 1997
  3. "It's All About the Benjamins"
    Released: August 12, 1997
  4. "Been Around the World"
    Released: November 14, 1997
  5. "Victory"
    Released: March 17, 1998

No Way Out is the debut studio album by American rapper Puff Daddy. It was released on July 22, 1997, via Arista Records and Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records.[1] The album is credited to "Puff Daddy & the Family"; the latter act refers to guest appearances from his signees at Bad Boy.

Puff Daddy worked extensively with the Notorious B.I.G. and the Hitmen when creating the album, which saw a change in direction following the former's shooting and death months prior to release. This greatly affected Puff Daddy, and with a combination of aggressive and introspective lyrics, he conveys an emotionally vulnerable state representing the before and after of B.I.G.'s death. Additional production was provided by Jaz-O, while the album contains features from the Notorious B.I.G., Busta Rhymes, Mase, Lil' Kim, Carl Thomas, Jay-Z, Black Rob, the LOX, Ginuwine, Twista, Foxy Brown, Faith Evans, and 112.

No Way Out was met with significant commercial success, debuting atop on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of over 561,000 copies. Its lead single, "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down", peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 several weeks after its January 1997 release. Its follow-up, and the album's second single, "I'll Be Missing You", became a worldwide hit and the first hip hop song to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100, while its fourth single, "Been Around the World", peaked at number two. No Way Out also earned critical success, receiving five nominations at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards, from which it won Best Rap Album.[2] It remains Puff Daddy's best selling album, with over 7 million copies shipped in the United States, and is considered a classic hip hop album.[3] However, the album's reliance on sampling was criticized by Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, and MTV.

Background

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Speaking about the album's title, Puff Daddy said that because of the Notorious B.I.G.'s death on March 9, 1997, he had felt that there was 'no way out of things the way we were'. The album's lyrical content was inspired by the emotions that he felt while mourning the loss of his close friend. In the song, titled "Is This the End?", he raps about experiencing the drive-by shooting that happened in Los Angeles, California, which took the Notorious B.I.G.'s life. The album was originally called Puff Daddy & the Goodfellas, then slated to be titled Hell Up in Harlem, but following the death of the Notorious B.I.G., he decided to switch the album's title to No Way Out.

As discussed in "Unbelievable: The Life, Death, and Afterlife of The Notorious B.I.G." by Cheo Hodari Coker, the weight of the East Coast/West Coast rivalry and the accompanying threats had taken its toll on Combs and those around him. It was decided that they needed to get away and become focused on making hits. So, Combs brought producers Steven "Stevie J." Jordan, Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie, Nashiem Myrick and Ron Lawrence as well as engineers Axel Niehaus and Tony Maserati down to the Caribbean Sound Basin studio in Maraval, Trinidad, along with everything that they needed to craft hits.

In the book, Puffy is quoted as saying, "For the next two years, I wanna have radio on lock. Call the girlfriend, wifey, or whatever, and let 'em know that you're not gonna be around for a few weeks. We're gonna get away from all this drama, put our heads together, and when we come back, we’re coming back with hits." The material would later be used on No Way Out, Life After Death and other Bad Boy albums from 1997 to 1999.

Accolades

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In the United States, the album topped on the Billboard charts, with 561,000 copies sold in the first week. The album topped music charts worldwide for 24 non-consecutive weeks. In 1998, No Way Out would win the Grammy Award for the Best Rap Album. On September 7, 2000, the album was certified seven-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In 1997, among the ten songs that reached at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 list, four of them belonged to Bad Boy Records.

The album spawned two Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles – "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" and "I'll Be Missing You" – and the "number 2" singles "Been Around the World" and "It's All About the Benjamins". The longest reign of the label's four hits was this single "I'll Be Missing You", which topped the charts for 11 weeks. The melody for "I'll Be Missing You" is sampled from the Police's 1983 hit "Every Breath You Take". This successful album led to Puff Daddy to be named as one of Forbes' 40th highest-paid entertainers, along with southern hip hop rapper Master P and Oprah Winfrey.

The music video for "Been Around the World" features cameo appearances by Jennifer Lopez, playing Puff Daddy's love interest in a fictional storyline. Its positive reception led to widespread rumors of a personal relationship between the two in the media. This was later confirmed when Puff Daddy and Lopez dated for a period of time in the late 1990s. Furthermore, the music video for "Victory" was one of the most expensive videos ever made.[4] The song titled "No Way Out" performed by Puff Daddy, appeared on the soundtrack for the film Money Talks (1997), but is not included on this album.

Reception

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Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
BillboardNegative[6]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[7]
MTVMixed[8]
Pitchfork7.8/10[9]
RapReviews9/10[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
VibePositive[12]
The Village Voice(2-star Honorable Mention)(2-star Honorable Mention)[13]

Since its release, the album has been evaluated in the context of the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry and deaths of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.[7][9] The sampling of hits from past decades has also been debated by critics.[7][6][14] In 1997, Neil Strauss of The New York Times called Puff Daddy the "king of sampled hits".[14]

No Way Out received a wide range of reviews. Allmusic rated the album four out of five stars, with Leo Stanley calling it "a compelling, harrowing album" and "more substantial...than most mid-'90s hip-hop releases".[5] For Vibe, Michael A. Gonzales praised the producers for creating "fierce, moody sonic mainpulations that are changing the soundscapes of pop music".[12]

Positive reviews continued in later years. RapReviews.com rated the album 9 out of 10 points in 2007. " The replay value is astronomical, and the album is packed full of great beats, classic singles and excellent guest appearances," wrote Jesal Padania for the site.[10] Reviewing the album in 2017, Pitchfork rated it 7.8 out of 10 points, regarding it as "a party record spotted with bouts of depression and sorrow" and "feel-good music that tops the charts".[9]

Other reviews were less favorable, especially towards the lyrics and production. Grading the album a C+, Entertainment Weekly critic J. D. Considine pointed out "the obvious contradictions within their shoot-first, mourn-your-friends-later attitude" of Puff Daddy and his collaborators.[7] Considine also questioned the choice of samples, in calling "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" and other tracks "shamelessly derivative".[7] For Billboard, Havelock Nelson also criticized the samples on the album: "...the over-reliance on huge swathes of undiluted samples is simply clumsy, lazy, and demeaning to the sources."[6] MTV acknowledged that Puff Daddy's repurposing of older songs was commercially successful but pointed out: "...there is a clear difference between sampling snippets and manipulating them into a beat...and just straight-away rapping over a relatively recent hit record."[8]

For Rolling Stone, Nathan Brackett compared Puff Daddy's rapping style on the tracks with guest appearances by The Notorious B.I.G.: "B.I.G.'s rhymes are dynamic, authoritative; Puff Daddy's voice is thin, and he delivers his verses in a flat monotone."[11] Regarding the samples, Brackett commented that Puff Daddy was among "artists who merely bask in the reflected glory of the songs from which they draw."[11]

Commercial performance

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Upon release, No Way Out was quickly met with commercial success. In Combs' home country of the United States, it debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 561,000 copies sold in its first week. Supported by five commercially successful singles, including "I'll Be Missing You", which, along with the album itself, served as a tribute to the then-recently deceased Notorious B.I.G.. The song became the first in hip hop to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for 11 consecutive weeks, while topping several other charts worldwide. The album's first single, released prior to B.I.G.'s death, "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down", also peaked atop the chart, for seven consecutive weeks.

Its fourth single, "Been Around the World", peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, while its fifth, "Victory" peaked within the top 20. On September 7, 2000, the album received septuple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for sales of 7,000,000 units in the United States.[15] As of 2024, it remains Combs' most commercially successful release.

Track listing

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All tracks, with the exception of "I Got the Power", were produced by members of Bad Boy's in-house production team, the Hitmen. The tracklisting was slightly altered on the album's clean version, where it was shortened down to thirteen songs.[16]

No Way Out – digital download[17] and streaming[18]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."No Way Out (Intro)"
Stevie J1:22
2."Victory" (featuring the Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes)
4:56
3."Been Around the World" (featuring the Notorious B.I.G. and Mase)
  • Puff Daddy
  • D-Dot
  • Amen-Ra[a]
5:25
4."What You Gonna Do?"
  • Puff Daddy
  • Amen-Ra
  • Myrick
4:55
5."Don't Stop What You're Doing" (featuring Lil' Kim)
3:58
6."If I Should Die Tonight (Interlude)" (featuring Carl Thomas)
  • Puff Daddy
  • J-Dub[b]
2:59
7."Do You Know?"
  • Puff Daddy
  • D-Dot[c]
6:06
8."Young G's" (featuring Jay-Z and the Notorious B.I.G.)
Rashad Smith5:25
9."I Love You, Baby" (featuring Black Rob)
Jesse "Corparal" Wilson		4:03
10."It's All About the Benjamins" (featuring the LOX, the Notorious B.I.G., and Lil' Kim)
  • Puff Daddy
  • D-Dot
4:38
11."Pain"
  • Combs
  • Myrick
  • Puff Daddy
  • Myrick[a]
5:08
12."Is This the End?" (featuring Carl Thomas, Ginuwine, and Twista)
  • Puff Daddy
  • Stevie J[b]
4:34
13."I Got the Power" (featuring the LOX)
4:05
14."Friend" (featuring Foxy Brown)
  • Puff Daddy
  • Stevie J
6:37
15."Señorita"
  • Combs
  • Jason Graham
  • Puff Daddy
  • Yogi
4:07
16."I'll Be Missing You" (featuring Faith Evans and 112)
  • Puff Daddy
  • Stevie J
5:43
17."Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" (featuring Mase)
  • Combs
  • Betha
  • Carlos Broady
  • Myrick
  • Puff Daddy
  • July 6
  • Myrick
3:51
18."Been Around the World (Radio Mix)" (featuring the Notorious B.I.G. and Mase)
  • Puff Daddy
  • D-Dot
  • Amen-Ra[a]
4:07
Total length:77:52

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[b] signifies an additional producer
  • ^[c] signifies an additional music contribution

Sample credits

Personnel

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Credits for No Way Out adapted from AllMusic.[20]

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[51] Gold 35,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[52] Gold 25,000*
Belgium (BEA)[53] Gold 25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[54] 6× Platinum 600,000^
France (SNEP)[55] Gold 100,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[56] Platinum 200,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[57] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[58] Gold 7,500^
Sweden (GLF)[59] Gold 40,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[60] Platinum 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[61] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[62] 7× Platinum 7,000,000[3]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[63] Platinum 1,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ Cheo Hodari Coker (July 22, 1997). "The Spotlight Turns on Puffy Combs : Dancing Close to the Flames". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  2. ^ Strauss, Neil (January 7, 1998). "Grammy Nominations Yield Surprises, Including Newcomer's Success". The New York Times. p. 2. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  3. ^ a b Preezy Brown (July 1, 2017). "Bad Boy For Life: 20 Facts About Puff Daddy & The Family's 'No Way Out'". Vibe. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  4. ^ "SoYouWanna know the ten most expensive music videos? – Videos 4 – 2". Soyouwanna.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2010. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  5. ^ a b Stanley, Leo. "No Way Out". AllMusic. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c "Reviews & Previews, Albums, Rap" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 33. August 16, 1997. p. 61. Retrieved August 19, 2024 – via World Radio History.
  7. ^ a b c d e Considine, J.D. (August 8, 1997). "No Way Out". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  8. ^ a b "Puff Daddy & The Family, No Way Out (Arista)". MTV. 1997. Archived from the original on July 6, 2001. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Pearce, Sheldon (March 9, 2017). "Puff Daddy & the Family: No Way Out Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  10. ^ a b Padania, Jesal (September 25, 2007). "Puff Daddy & The Family - No Way Out". RapReviews. Archived from the original on January 27, 2008. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c Brackett, Nathan (September 4, 1997). "No Way Out". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 2, 2001. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Gonzales, Michael A. (October 1997). "Puff Daddy: No Way Out (Bad Boy Records)". Vibe Magazine. Vol. 5, no. 8. pp. 159–160. Retrieved August 19, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
  13. ^ Christgau, Robert (September 23, 1997). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Vol. 42, no. 38. p. 78. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Strauss, Neil (September 14, 1997). "Sampling Is (a) Creative Or (b) Theft?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  15. ^ "Diddy searchable database". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  16. ^ "No Way Out (Remastered Edition) by Diddy". Spotify. July 1, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  17. ^ "No Way Out by Puff Daddy & The Family". Apple Music. July 1, 1997. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  18. ^ "No Way Out by Diddy". Spotify. July 1, 1997. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  19. ^ "Credits / No Way Out (2014 Remaster) / Diddy — TIDAL".
  20. ^ "No Way Out > Puff Daddy & The Family > Credits". AllMusic. Macrovision. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  21. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Puff Daddy & The Family – No Way Out". Hung Medien.
  22. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Puff Daddy & The Family – No Way Out" (in German). Hung Medien.
  23. ^ "Ultratop.be – Puff Daddy & The Family – No Way Out" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  24. ^ "Ultratop.be – Puff Daddy & The Family – No Way Out" (in French). Hung Medien.
  25. ^ "Puff Daddy Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
  26. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Puff Daddy & The Family – No Way Out" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  27. ^ "Puff Daddy & The Family: No Way Out" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  28. ^ "Lescharts.com – Puff Daddy & The Family – No Way Out". Hung Medien.
  29. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Puff Daddy & The Family – No Way Out" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts.
  30. ^ "Charts.nz – Puff Daddy & The Family – No Way Out". Hung Medien.
  31. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Puff Daddy & The Family – No Way Out". Hung Medien.
  32. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  33. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Puff Daddy & The Family – No Way Out". Hung Medien.
  34. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Puff Daddy & The Family – No Way Out". Hung Medien.
  35. ^ "Puff Daddy & The Family | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
  36. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  37. ^ "Puff Daddy Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  38. ^ "Puff Daddy Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
  39. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1997". ARIA. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  40. ^ "Jahreshitparade Alben 1997". Austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  41. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1997". Ultratop (in Dutch). Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  42. ^ "Rapports Annuels 1997". Ultratop (in French). Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  43. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1997". DutchCharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  44. ^ "Eurochart Top 100 Albums 1997" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  45. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  46. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1997". The Official NZ Music Charts. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  47. ^ "Year list Album (incl. Collections), 1997". Sverigetopplistan (in Swedish). Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  48. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1997: Alben". Hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  49. ^ "The Year in Music 1997: Top Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. December 27, 1997. p. YE-26. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  50. ^ "1997 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 52. December 27, 1997. p. YE-39. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  51. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  52. ^ "Austrian album certifications – Puff Daddy – No Way Out" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  53. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 1997". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  54. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Puff Daddy – No Way Out". Music Canada. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  55. ^ "French album certifications – Puff Daddy – No Way Out" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  56. ^ "Japanese album certifications – Puff Daddy – No Way Out" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved November 19, 2019. Select 1998年1月 on the drop-down menu
  57. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Puff Daddy – No Way Out" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved November 19, 2019. Enter No Way Out in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1997 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  58. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Puff Daddy – No Way Out". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  59. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  60. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('No Way Out')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  61. ^ "British album certifications – Puff Daddy – No Way Out". British Phonographic Industry.
  62. ^ "American album certifications – Diddy – No Way Out". Recording Industry Association of America.
  63. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 1998". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
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