Today marks the 25th anniversary of Puff Daddy & The Family's classic debut album, No Way Out. Diddy took to his social media to share the following message, "Biggie inspired me to become an artist and make this album, so it's bittersweet to look back on such a pivotal turning point in my life and career that turned Bad Boy into an unstoppable dynasty and cemented our place in Hip Hop history! To have countless hit records from so many timeless artists that became global superstars, it will be hard for anyone to ever create a moment in music that changed the culture like No Way Out!" Puff makes a good point... his spirit to succeed after such a tragedy with the passing of The Notorious B.I.G. was an incredible moment in music. Not just "I'll Be Missing You," but the whole album from top to bottom. It's clear when you listen back -- even all these years later -- the original direction of the album was different before B.I.G.'s passing. The original title was alleged to be "Hell Up In Harlem," a title that wouldn't been marketed the same after such a loss. There are a few references in the album itself, as well as a different energy from Puff's cast of superstars called "Family" when originally they were gonna be called "Goodfellas." Subtle changes like that change the whole presentation of the album. There was an ad in Billboard (October, 1997) taken out by Clive Davis at Arista that said, "With "I'll Be Missing You" and "Mo Money Mo Problems," Sean "Puffy" Combs joins only The Beatles, Elvis Presley and Boyz II Men in succeeding himself at #1. These two singles, plus "Can't Hold Me Down" and "Hypnotize" make Bad Boy the first label since Motown to have its first four #1s occur in the same year. This calendar year, Bad Boy has held the #1 position on the Hot 100 Chart for 22 weeks, accounting for nearly 60% of this year's #1 hits. Since the label's inception, every album released by Bad Boy has been certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum, including Puff Daddy's #1 debut album No Way Out, which is now approaching triple platinum. It's truly an extraordinary year of achievement for an extraordinary artist, producer and label. And it's only September." It was Puff's 'can't stop, won't stop' attitude that was the blueprint to his success. When there's no way out, you make it happen... Revisit Puff's classic album below...
Yo, the sun don't shine forever / But as long as it's here...
