"The last man standing in the Bad Boy camp completely transcends the stigma of being Puff Daddy's "next big thing" on his long-awaited full-length album, Life Story. In addition to the quintessential street-jam "Whoa!," some of the album's highlights include "Lookin' At Us" (with Goodie Mob's Cee-Lo), the killer "Thug Story" and "Spanish Fly," which features Jennifer Lopez," says CMJ in March, 2000. Vibe Magazine declared that "Whoa!" was the Best Single in their 2001 Vibe of the Year, adding "By the beginning of 2000, with the dirty South bouncing at its heels, Bad Boy's tenuous reign as hip-hop's star-making machine appeared to be over. Then Black Rob dropped "Whoa!," a roughneck club banger with a slick hook that burned through the floss and hater checking that had been choking the house of Puff. With one smash single, Bad Boy resurrected itself and reminded everyone that it still reps for the streets." Black Rob's Life Story sold 177,000 copies within its first week of release; later held the No.3 spot on Billboard's Top 200, and No.1 on its Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album came late in Bad Boy's run, so some might have mistakenly overlooked this gem of an album. If you dig into the archives you'll find a Freestyles EP that was run as promo of Black Rob rapping over some familiar beats like "Who's Got Da Props" and "Children's Story," and don't forget "I Dare You," which was a bonus cut on Life Story but was originally included on the Slam soundtrack in 1998. "Jasmine" was my joint, lowkey, too! Revisit Black Rob's Life Story below...
Below is the full single review for "Whoa!" in Vibe + the back of the 12" poster...
