Ranking the Best Songs on Diddy’s No Way Out

All month we’ve celebrated landmark albums released in the month of July and today marks 25 years since the big (no pun intended) turning point of Bad Boy Records.

Sean Combs – who has more nicknames than Nick Cannon’s offspring – spent years as the reigning king of hip-hop and R&B. His sound, his hits, his dancin’ all in the videos, were inescapable. But mere months before the release of his first solo project, his friend and Bad Boy breadwinner Biggie Smalls was murdered.

Fans and critics wondered – would the mighty Bad Boy empire finally be toppled?

Well, Puff told you they wouldn’t stop. And they didn’t.

The homie Jay Connor slides through to join me in sharing his thoughts on one of the biggest releases of 1997.

Chat about your pick for best song.

Jay: “Victory”

Yo, I didn’t even realize how many bangers this album had until I had to subject myself to the torment of having to pick the best one. But in what essentially amounts to a coin flip, I have “Victory” living up to its namesake. Simply put, with Bill Conti’s “Going the Distance” serving as a defibrillator — with a dash of cracked pepper and onion powder sprinkled in courtesy of Bad Boy Hitman Stevie J — Diddy, Biggie, and BUSTA RHYMES (who I wholeheartedly believe texts in all caps because why wouldn’t he?) take turns catching the Holy Ghost until they deliver what’s easily one of the greatest album intros of all time. Yes, OF ALL TIME, I said; which includes before and after Jesus died for y’all sins and Easter bunnies. Anyone who says otherwise is either a liar or a Supreme Court judge — which I guess is one and the same. 

Edd: “Victory”

“Victory” is the greatest Puff Diddy Daddy Lovey song of all time and it has zero to do with him. Well, I guess that’s not fair – his “the sun don’t shine forever” couplet is cool and I appreciated his exasperated WHAT I’M GON DO NOW? at the end of the song as a visceral reaction to the loss of BIG … even if it does go on a little too long. Playa I DON’T know what you’re gonna do now, stop asking me! But really this track is all about Christopher Wallace and Trevor Smith Jr., with Biggie proving why he’ll always be unmatched on the mic and Busta serving as the multiverse’s greatest hype man.

There’s some great production here. Which song has the best?

Jay: “It’s All About the Benjamins” 

Ladies and gentlemen, I present the quintessential club banger. Yes, the haunting strings on “I Love You, Baby” tickle my fancy, as do whatever orgasmic sensations moonwalk across my spinal cord whenever the horns on “Victory” kick in. But dammit, we’re talking about “It’s All About the Benjamins” here, which is basically the oxtails with extra gravy of rap music. So yes, Yung Miami’s boo thang might plunder your publishing or conveniently forget that he left you to rot in prison for nine years, but at least he’s kind enough to give you a song to perform while he receives his Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards 30 years later. So take that, take that and be grateful. 

Edd: “It’s All About the Benjamins” 

My heart wants to pick “Victory” as best beat, but that’s mainly because I think it’s overinflated sense of grandeur appeals to my own overinflated ego. It sounds like a hood coronation and I love it. But as much as I hate to admit when Jay’s right (cuz then I never hear the end of it…) he’s right on this one. The warped synths of “Benjamins” have become downright iconic and it’s kinda weird that such an erratic track has become an immortal club banger. I also loved the touch of switching the beat when the GOAT himself steps to the mic. It just gives extra importance to Frank White’s presence.  

There are tons of features too. Who shined brightest?

Jay: Lil’ Kim on “All About the Benjamins”

Sorry, Black Rob. But as much as 17-year-old me was captivated by the harrowing street cinema that was “I Love You, Baby,” we all know the Queen Bee holds the crown. Wanna bumble with the bee, huh? No, ma’am, we do not. We respectfully decline that smoke. 

Edd: The Notorious BIG on “Victory”

Kim’s verse might be the most quotable, sure, but I’ll deliver the hottest take on this post and say that Big’s first verse on Victory is among his best ever. “Rhyme a few bars so I can buy a few cars/And I kick a few flows so I can pimp a few hoes” – his breath control and cadence on those two bars alone are immaculate and should be taught in Ivy League classrooms. The man has been gone 25 years and he’s STILL untouchable.

What’s this album’s most underrated track?

Jay: “I Got the Power”

I’ll be the first to admit that I wasn’t drinking the Jadakiss, Styles P, and what’s his face Kool-Aid during Bad Boy’s heyday. I felt like they were being shoved down our throats, using the same foolproof formula that transformed Biggie, Ma$e, and one Kimberly Denise Jones into international superstars. Slight problem: The LOX didn’t exactly conform to Diddy’s penchant for shiny suits and tyrannical narcissism, so they always felt awkwardly out of place—kinda like a Jeremih song outside of a Guantanamo Bay torture chamber. To that end, I wasn’t exactly thrilled with them getting the spotlight on No Way Out, but I was pleasantly surprised by how dope the end result actually was. And while it wasn’t a standout among a treasure trove of timeless classics, “I Got the Power” was the perfect prelude for what The LOX would gradually become. Thanks, Diddy! 

Edd: “Do You Know?”

One thing that surprised me about this album while relistening for this post is how dark and introspective it is. You wouldn’t think a man who runs around calling himself Love and regularly dressed like a Hershey’s kiss wrapper in his prime would spend half his debut album gripped by paranoia, but here we are. “Do You Know” certainly isn’t the glossy radio fare he’s know for but it hits surprisingly hard – for a Puffy song, anyway. I’m not sure who ghostwrote this one (I’m guessing D-Dot Angelettie, aka the Madd Rapper) but it’s a fascinating look at the dark side of the limelight. Plus my girl Kelly Price SANGS HER EYELASHES OFF on the hook. Take note, Sad Bois of 2022 – just because a song is depressing doesn’t mean it has to be boring.

And the most overrated song is…

Jay: “I’ll Be Missing You”

In the immortal words of Blaine Edwards and Antoine Merriweather: “HATED IT!” Yes, it’s a moving tribute to one of the greatest rappers who ever lived—hindsight being 20/20, the fact that it was recorded and released within two months of Biggie’s murder is mind blowing—but radio latched onto it like a parking boot solely because of its profound sentimental value, not the actual quality of the song—which isn’t exactly great. Plus, I always found it bizarre as hell that as personal and as heartfelt as the lyrics are, that sentiment didn’t even come from Diddy—it was Sauce Money who actually wrote this song. All that to say, if I never hear “I’ll Be Missing You” again in life, that’d be perfectly fine with me. Please and thanks. 

Edd: “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down”

I’ll take all that venom you have for “I’ll Be Missing You” (which I think is a fine song, just WAY overplayed) and inject it into to veins of “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down,” aka the bane of my existence in 1997. This song was somehow played EVEN MORE than “I’ll Be Missing You” on Va radio and outside of the sample of “The Message,” offered way less. I know there’s a lot of Mase nostalgia these days but he is the Father Abraham of today’s mumble rappers – he birthed them all. He and Puff’s sloth-like flow over such a hyperactive beat kill the song dead for me. Objective Album Reviewer Edd can’t fairly rank this song at the bottom of the No Way Out pile but it’s an instant skip whenever I check out the album.

Which song should have been a single?

Jay: “Don’t Stop What You’re Doing”

I mean, I wouldn’t trust Diddy around my girlfriend, let alone my publishing, but only a blithering idiot would find fault in trotting out “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down,” “I’ll Be Missing You,” “It’s All About the Benjamins,” “Been Around the World,” and “Victory” as singles. That would take a special type of stupid typically reserved for people who put sugar in grits. That being said, if I could wave my magic wand, do the Dru Hill “Tell Me” bunny hop back to 1997, and pick an additional single to bludgeon the Billboard charts over the head with, it would have to be “Don’t Stop What You’re Doing.” Signature Bad Boy sound? Check. Feature from a nipple pastied Lil’ Kim? Check. Would it put Hot 97, Video Soul, MTV Jams, and all the other platforms I’m too old to remember in a figure-four leg lock? Check. Isn’t revisionist history great? 

Edd: “Is This The End?”

Playa I just can’t with “Don’t Stop What You’re Doing.” It makes my soul shrivel when disparaging any song Queen Mother Kelly Price blesses with her vocals but Lil Kim’s whiny YOU DON’T REALLY WANNNA STAWWWWP make me want to rip my ears off and feed them to the goats in that Thor movie. Instead, let’s go with “Is This The End” – it’s got the New Edition interpolation going on, a feature from Ginuwine when he was hotter than Birmingham, Ala. on July 22 (trust me, that’s HOT), an amazing verse from rising star Twista (whom I almost gave the Best Feature nod), a showcase for Carl Thomas before he hit big, and the song’s storyline is tailor-made for those overblown, mini-movie music videos Puff loved in this era. Probably wouldn’t be a huge radio hit but MTV would wear this video out.

On another note, “Is This the End (Part Two)” is one of the only good things about Puff’s horrendous follow-up album. I wish he kept that series going. I also wish I never bought that album.

Is this Puff’s best album?

Jay: Duh! What other option do you have? Remove Last Train to Paris from the equation since that’s property of his experimental offshoot, Diddy Dirty Money, and you’re left to pick from either 2006’s Press Play, which starts off surprisingly strong (shoutout to Pharoahe Monch and Royce da 5’9″ for their penmanship) before recklessly teetering between outstanding and absolute dreck; 2011’s The Saga Continues…, which has a few joints, but overall has about as much nutritional value as iceberg lettuce; and 1999’s Forever, which we all agree was somehow a figment of our imaginations. So don’t make this any harder than it should be. Mere months after Biggie’s still unsolved murder, No Way Out not only staved off Bad Boy’s imminent demise but it ushered in the next chapter of Bad Boy’s reign by showcasing the bevy of talent on its roster. It was a brilliant, seven-time platinum decision that christened Diddy as the label’s new franchise player and extended Bad Boy’s lifespan to still being surprisingly relevant today. Give this album all the things. 

Edd: You basically have two options for great Puff albums – this one or Press Play. I guess some people like Last Train to Paris too but some people also want to reinstall Trump as president, so I can’t speak for the criminally insane. Take that nonsense back to Arkham Asylum. Although this album was a fave of mine in my early college years, I hadn’t listened to it in full in forever and was pleasantly surprised at how well constructed it is. Yes, it gets a little too goofy at times (“YOU DON’T REALLY WANNNA STAWWWWP”) but it’s a much better balance of radio hits, raw introspection and straight-up bar-fests than you may expect. It’s not the best album of the Bad Boy era but perhaps no album better showcases all facets of Puff’s game-changing sound.  

Which team are you riding for, Jay or Edd? Let us know down below and share your favorite moments and memories too.