The LOX Does It “All For The Love” On NPR’s ‘Tiny Desk’

The Lox has received the NPR Tiny Desk treatment, as they reimagined their gully tracks with a minimalist live band approach.

Jadakiss, Styles P, and Sheek Louch brought their signature grime to the miniature set, bobbing and weaving through eight of their discography’s most notable joints. Songs included “Kiss Your A** Goodbye,” “Money, Power & Respect,” “By Your Side” and “All for the Love.” The trio of emcees shined as their chemistry was on full display, all while adding perfect ad-libs and finishing each other’s verses.

The new flavor to the group’s iconic songs arrived via an assortment of musicians, providing total raw energy to songs that already felt cinematic. Musicians backing the band included Carrtoons on bass and overseeing musical direction for the show, Kiefer on the piano, Daru Jones playing the drums, Le’Asha with the background vocals, their tour DJ, Technician The DJ, spinning on the 1s and 2s, Lelia-Michelle Walker playing the viola, Keith Colon and Clarke Randolph on violin, and Johnny Walker, Jr. playing the cello.

Jadakiss and Styles closed the mini show out with their smash single, “We Gonna Make It,” deploying the strings to elevate the Alchemist’s production to grander heights. Styles demanded everyone put their fists in the air as gentle notes from the string instruments injected a sense of elegance into the NPR studio.

“F**k the frail sh*t, uh, ’cause when my coke come in/They gotta use the scale that they weigh the whales with/Carlssons on the jeep, Bugatti made the prototype/Hoped you’d get the picture but you just can’t photo life/Determined ni**as make it/Kicking down the door and we burning ni**as naked,” Styles and Jada rhyme back-and-forth in their iconic song. “The house costs a million, sitting on the beach/And the only thing I know: if it’s furnished I’ma take it/My bathtub lift up, my walls do a 360/We got the sh*t that the government got/Talking money then you rubbing the spot/Real ni**as say that they be wilding/We on the Cayman Islands on a yacht with our favorite albums.”

Watch the video for the trio’s Tiny Desk performance above.