Lost Boyz are an American

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

group from

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, consisting of MC Mr. Cheeks, DJ Spigg Nice, Pretty Lou, and Freaky Kah, with the latter replacing his father Freaky Tah who was murdered in 1999. The original line-up released two albums: '' Legal Drug Money'' (1996) and '' Love, Peace & Nappiness'' (1997). The third album, ''

LB IV Life ''LB IV Life'' is the third studio album by American hip hop group the Lost Boyz. It was released on September 28, 1999, via Universal Music Group, Universal Records. Recording sessions took place at Heavy Hand Recordings and Soundtrack in New Yo ...

'' (1999), was finished by the three remaining group members. In the following years, Mr. Cheeks focused on his solo career, reuniting with the rest of the group for their fourth album, ''Grand Scheme 12:26'' (2020).

History

The Lost Boyz began as a street crew in

South Jamaica, Queens South Jamaica (also commonly known as "Southside") is a residential neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located south of downtown Jamaica. Although a proper border has not been established, the neighborhood is a subsectio ...

in 1987. Mr Cheeks (known as CO-CHEEKS) and Freaky Tah were locally known as freestyle artists along with Fredro Starr (ONYX) & Mikey D (Main Source) during the "Park Jam Era" (Tapemaster B, CuttMaster Jt, Grandmaster Vic). Mr Cheeks would take this time to perfect his battle rapping skill in the park & also gain his stage name from the Supreme Team leader, Black Just. With Pretty Lou and Spigg Nice, the group would come together and promote under the Lost Boyz name. In 1995, the group released their debut single "Lifestyles of the Rich & Shameless," charting on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The release landed them a record deal with

Uptown Records Uptown Records is an American record label, based in New York City, founded in 1986 by old school rapper ‘Dr Jekyll’ - Andre Harrell. From the late 1980s into the early 1990s, it was a leader in R&B and hip-hop. Beginnings and success In ...

. They contributed a single to the ''

Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood #REDIRECT Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood {{R from other capitalisation ...

'' soundtrack, titled " Renee". The song became a major hit, breaking into the top 40 on the Hot 100 chart. The single also reached gold status in 1996. On June 4, 1996, the group released their debut album '' Legal Drug Money'' to acclaim, and featured five Hot 100 hits, including their past singles " Lifestyles of the Rich & Shameless," "Renee," " Music Makes Me High," " Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimaz & Benz," and "

Get Up Get Up may refer to: Film and television * Get Up! (film), ''Get Up!'' (film), a 2003 Japanese film directed by Kazuyuki Izutsu * Get Up (film), ''Get Up'' (film), a 2008 South Korean television film directed by Lee Jae-dong * Get Up! (TV program ...

." The album was certified

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

in late 1996. In 1996, the group appeared on the

Red Hot Organization ''Red Hot Organization'' (RHO) is a non-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization with goals to promote diversity through equal access to healthcare through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors ...

's compilation CD ''

America Is Dying Slowly ''America Is Dying Slowly'' (a backronym for AIDS) is a compilation album about HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. It is the first hip-hop benefit album about this subject, and the second Red Hot Organization project focused on HIV/AIDS awareness ...

'', alongside

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop collective formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its members include RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and, until his death in 2004, O ...

Coolio Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (August 1, 1963 – September 28, 2022), known by his stage name Coolio, was an American rapper. He was best known for his single "Gangsta's Paradise" (1995), which won a Grammy Award, and was credited for changing the cours ...

, and

Fat Joe Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper. He began recording as a member of Hip-hop, hip hop group D.I.T.C., Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.) in 1992, and pursued a sol ...

, among others. The CD, meant to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic among African-American men, was heralded as a "masterpiece" by ''

The Source The Source may refer to: Film and television * ''The Source'' (1918 film), 1918 American drama directed by George Melford * ''The Source'' (1999 film), a 1999 documentary film about the Beat generation * ''The Source'' (2002 film), a 2002 scienc ...

'' magazine. Their second album, '' Love, Peace & Nappiness'', was released on June 17, 1997, through

Uptown Uptown may refer to: Neighborhoods or regions in several cities United States * Uptown, Chicago, Illinois * Uptown Manhattan, New York City, New York * Uptown, Richmond, Virginia * Uptown, Dallas, Texas * Uptown, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania * Upt ...

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

. It featured another Hot 100 single, "Me & My Crazy World." One of the most famous songs on the album was the

posse cut A posse cut is a popular form of song in hip hop music that involves successive verses by four or more rappers.Edwards, Paul, 2009, ''How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC'', Chicago Review Press, p. 221. Tracks described as posse cuts ...

"Beasts from the East", featuring A+, Redman, and

Canibus Germaine Williams (born December 9, 1974), better known by his stage name Canibus, is a Jamaican-American rapper. First having gained recognition for his freestyling abilities, he signed with Universal Records to release his debut studio al ...

. The album was not as acclaimed as their debut, but fared well commercially, reaching Gold status in late 1997. Freaky Tah was murdered in Queens on March 28, 1999. The three remaining group members finished their third album, ''

'', released in September 1999, but the album was not a commercial or artistic success, and Mr. Cheeks left to begin a solo career. On January 16, 2004, Spigg Nice was tried and convicted of multiple bank robberies in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

and was sentenced to 37 years in prison. He was released in 2021, the same year the group appeared on

Nick Cannon Nicholas Scott Cannon (born October 8, 1980) is an American comedian, television presenter, actor, and rapper. In television, he began his career as a teenager on Nickelodeon's '' All That'' before going on to host '' The Nick Cannon Show'', '' ...

's ''

Wild 'N Out ''Wild 'n Out'' is an American sketch comedy and battle rap improv game show television series created and hosted by musician and comedian Nick Cannon currently airing on VH1. It debuted on July 28, 2005, on MTV. Premise Similar in premise ...

'' show on VH1.

Members

* Mr. Cheeks * Freaky Kah * Pretty Lou * DJ Spigg Nice *

Freaky Tah Lost Boyz are an American hip hop group from Queens, New York, consisting of MC Mr. Cheeks, DJ Spigg Nice, Pretty Lou, and Freaky Kah, with the latter replacing his father Freaky Tah who was murdered in 1999. The original line-up released tw ...

Discography

* '' Legal Drug Money'' (1996) * '' Love, Peace & Nappiness'' (1997) * ''

'' (1999) * '' Grand Scheme 12:26'' (2020) * Lost Boyz Legacy (Deluxe Edition) (2020)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lost Boyz, The African-American musical groups Five percenters Hip-hop groups from New York City East Coast hip-hop groups Musical groups disestablished in 1999 Musical groups from Queens, New York American musical quartets Universal Records artists