We Are the Streets

1	Intro (Skit) 2:46
2	F*** You 4:07
3	Can I Live 4:10
4	Built for Bodies (Skit) 1:06
5	Breathe Easy 4:08
6	Felony Niggas 3:59
7	Wild Out 5:27
8	Blood Pressure 3:46
9	Recognize 4:13
10	Rape'n U Records (Skit) 2:39
11	Y'all F***ed up Now 4:30
12	Scream L.O.X. 3:51
13	U Told Me / Eve 4:53
14	Brains... (Take: 1) (Skit) 0:58
15	Ryde or Die, B**** / Eve 4:49
16	Bring It On 4:45
17	If You Know / Eve 3:40
18	We Are the Streets 4:33

Barnes & Noble

If you haven't heard, the Lox are Ruff Rydin' now. Earlier this year, the rhyme trio that hails from the hip-hop mecca of Yonkers, New York -- home of DMX and Mary J. Blige -- waged a successful "Let The Lox Go" media campaign in an effort to be freed from Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records. Now they're hooked up with their original mentors, the Ruff Ryders (the production-management team behind DMX and Eve), and the result is an album, WE ARE THE STREETS, that's far harder than their jiggalicious Bad Boy debut MONEY, POWER, RESPECT -- that is, no urbanized Rod Stewart covers a la MONEY's "Do Ya Think I'm Jiggy." Instead, you get state-of-the-art hardcore grooves from Ruff Ryders' house producers Swizz Beatz and PK, along with slammers like "Recognize" (produced by DJ Premier), and "Ryde or Die, Bitch," a slab of futuristic funk from Timbaland featuring fellow posse members Eve and Drag-On. On top, the Lox provide rugged, thuggish rhymes with expert abandon, with Lox member Jadakiss providing standout verbal pyrotechnics on pulverizing anthems like "Wild Out." The only problem is that, unlike DMX's tragic martyr and Eve's intelligent gangsta-bitch personae, the Lox come off as grimy 'round-the-way hoods who just happened to get a record contract. Then again, that's probably how they intended it. Matt Diehl

All Music Guide

The LOX's highly publicized and drawn-out defection from Puffy's Bad Boy Records to DMX's Ruff Ryder camp was imperative. Not only because Puffy's glossy sound openly clashed with the group's thug mentality, but the change of scenery also furnished Jadakiss, Sheek, and Styles with an opportunity to assert their own identity. While the LOX as a unit do not offer much in terms of topical dexterity, Jadakiss is one the industry's most underappreciated lyricists, which he clearly reiterates on his solo cut "Blood Pressure." Ruff Ryders in-house producer Swizz Beatz handles most of the production duties, and although his syncopated production can become repetitious, DJ Premier ("Recognize") and Timbaland ("Ryde or Die Bitch," featuring Eve and Drag-On) provide some much-needed diversity with their signature sounds. The rowdy lead single, "Wild Out," is an obvious reworking of Jay-Z's "Jigga My Nigga," but it was a hit on rap radio. Matt Conaway