Photo: David Choute
Styles P gave fans an intimate preview of his final solo album.
The LOX rapper debuted his latest batch of fresh music while celebrating the 1st anniversary of his "Strain For Life" dispensary in New York City. A mixture of some of hip-hop's heavy-hitters, including Maino, Cory Gunz, and Grafh, and P's loyal fans were in the building as the veteran MC debuted the first of his three-part LP, Ghost of the Past, Present, and Future. With DJ Statik Selektah on the ones and twos, Styles P previewed 11 tracks from the album that feature contributions from Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, AraabMuzik, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Rsonist of The Heatmakerz.
“In a spiritual sense, you’re always dealing with three different you’s," Styles said about his album. "The past is what you're dealing with, what you came up with, your traumas, your dreams, your aspirations, the things that make you you. The present is the person who’s here right now appreciating living in the moment and being in this time right now; you’re aware. I’m able to present the future me also because I’m not sure what that presents, but in case I do make it, and I do do that, I expect to be even more elevated as the Ghost of the future.”
Styles P is preparing to release the first portion of the three-part album this fall, but has not confirmed a release date yet. He's also in the process of recording the second part. Styles first announced his plans to retire as a solo artist in 2022. In the past four years, he continued to release solo music, joined his LOX brethren on projects like Bookie Barz, and embarked on his final tour. During the event, Styles P reflected on his contributions to Hip-Hop and the music industry.
"What I would hope my impact would be is for those who have received my impact is to say, ‘He was genuine, he was honest, and he was raw and authentic in who he was.' I gave these 30 years of dedication to my craft. I hope people receive that. I gave these 30 years of dedication to say I give a fuck about my art, and I give a fuck about who pays attention to the art.”
See what went down at the first anniversary celebration of Style P's "Strains For Life" below.