''Legal Drug Money'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop group the

Lost Boyz Lost Boyz are an American Hip hop music, hip hop group from Queens, New York (state), New York, consisting of Master of ceremonies, MC Mr. Cheeks, DJ Spigg Nice, Pretty Lou, and Freaky Kah, with the latter replacing his father Freaky Tah who w ...

. It was released on June 4, 1996, via

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, ...

. The recording sessions took place at

Greene St. Recording Greene St. Recording was a New York City recording studio, located at 112 Greene Street in SoHo, Manhattan, until its closure in 2001. It was one of the early headquarters of hip hop music during the 1980s and 1990s. History Background In the ...

, Quad Recording Studios and

D&D Studios D&D Studios was a recording studio at 320 West 37th Street in the Garment District and Hudson Yards neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. Artists who recorded there included Jay-Z, Foxy Brown, The Notorious B.I.G., Fat Joe, Nas, Gang Sta ...

in New York. It was produced by Big Dex, Mr. Sex,

Easy Mo Bee Osten S. Harvey Jr. (born December 8, 1965), better known by his stage name Easy Mo Bee, is an American hip hop and R&B record producer and DJ, known for his production work for artists such as Big Daddy Kane and Miles Davis, as well as his a ...

Big L Lamont Coleman (May 30, 1974February 15, 1999), known professionally as Big L, was an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Emerging from Harlem in New York City in 1992, Big L became known among underground hip-hop fans for his f ...

, "Buttnaked" Tim Dawg, Dwarf the Black Prince,

Pete Rock Peter O. Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapping, rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned along ...

, member Mr. Cheeks, with Charles Suitt serving as co-producer and executive producer. The album peaked at number six on the ''Billboard'' 200 and topped the

Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

chart in the United States. It was certified Gold by the

Recording Industry Association of America 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 ...

on August 7, 1996. It featured six singles: " Lifestyles of the Rich & Shameless", "

Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimaz & Benz "Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimaz & Benz" is the second single released from the Lost Boyz's debut album, '' Legal Drug Money'' in the previous year of its release a little after the final recording. The song was produced by Easy Mo Bee, who also produced t ...

", " Renee", " Music Makes Me High", "The Yearn" 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 ...

". Five of the album's singles made it to US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "Renee" previously was included in '' Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood: The Soundtrack'' and received Gold status by the RIAA. Slightly different version of the song "The Yearn" appeared on 1996 benefit compilation album ''

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 ...

''.

Track listing

;Notes * signifies an additional

lyricist A lyricist is a writer who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income derives ...

. * signifies a co- producer. ;Sample credits *Track 1 contains elements from " Summer Madness" written by Alton Taylor, Robert "Spike" Mickens,

Robert "Kool" Bell Robert Earl "Kool" Bell (born October 8, 1950), also known by the name Muhammad Bayyan, is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is the last surviving founding member of the American R&B, soul, funk and disco band Kool & the Gang. ...

, Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Richard "Ricky West" Westfield, George Brown,

Claydes Charles Smith Claydes "Charles" Smith (born Claydes Eugene Smith; September 6, 1948 – June 20, 2006) was an American musician best known as co-founder and lead guitarist of the group Kool & the Gang. Biography Early life Born in Jersey City, New Je ...

and Ronald Bell and performed by

Kool & the Gang Kool & the Gang is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B, soul music, soul, and funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964. Its founding members include brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell (musician), Ronald Bell (also known as " ...

*Track 3 contains a sample from "

Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll "Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll" is a song by the American funk group Vaughan Mason & Crew that capitalized on the roller disco fad of the late 1970s. Released in the summer of 1979, the single reached number 5 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Soul Singles ...

" written by Vaughan Mason and performed by

Vaughan Mason & Crew Vaughan Mason & Crew was an American funk and post-disco based group led by Vaughan Mason (October 24, 1950 – April 2, 2020). They are best known for their single " Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll", which reached number 5 on the US ''Billboard'' ...

*Track 5 contains elements from "Jealousy" performed by

Club Nouveau Club Nouveau () is an American R&B group formed by record producer/performer Jay King in 1986 in Sacramento, California, following the breakup of the Timex Social Club. The group's name ( French for "Club New") was changed from its original i ...

*Track 8 contains elements from "Whispering Pines" performed by

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...

*Track 9 interpolates "What You Gonna Do with My Lovin" by

Stephanie Mills Stephanie Dorthea Mills (born March 22, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to stardom as Dorothy Gale in the original seven-time Tony Awards, Tony Award winning Broadway theatre, Broadway run of the musical ''The Wiz'' ...

, and contains samples from " Funky Sensation" written by Kenton Nix and performed by

Gwen McCrae Gwendolyn Patricia McCrae ( Mosley, December 21, 1943 – February 21, 2025) was an American singer, best known for her 1975 hit record, hit "Rockin' Chair (Gwen McCrae song), Rockin' Chair". Known in the music industry as the "Queen of Rare Gro ...

*Track 10 contains samples from " Slow Down" written by Carl McIntosh, Steve Nichol and Jane Eugene, " The Look of Love" by

Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records in the 1960s, serving as an in-house songwr ...

, and "Jealousy" by Club Norveau *Track 11 contains elements from "

Risin' to the Top "Risin' to the Top" is a song by former Five Stairsteps member Keni Burke. Released in 1982 from the ''Changes'' album, it became his most successful hit as a solo artist, peaking at number 63 on the ''Billboard'' R&B charts'' and is considered ...

" written by

Keni Burke Kenneth M. "Keni" Burke (born September 28, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He began his career with four siblings in the 1970s band the Five Stairsteps. Biography Five Stairsteps As a membe ...

, Allan W. Felder and

Norma Jean Wright Norma Jean Wright (born July 15, 1950) is an American singer and was the lead vocalist of the American group Chic, a soul, R&B and disco band, from 1977 to 1978. Early life Norma Jean Wright was born in Ripley, Tennessee. At young age, she relo ...

*Track 12 interpolates "You're the One I Need" written by Barry White and Smeed Hudman as recorded by

Barry White Barry Eugene White (né Carter; September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003) was an American singer and songwriter. A two-time Grammy Award winner known for his bass voice and romantic image, his greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and ...

*Track 14 contains elements from "Playing Your Game, Baby" performed by Barry White

Personnel

*Terrance " Mr. Cheeks" Kelly – lyrics, vocals (tracks: 4–7, 9–14, 16), producer (track 1) *Raymond "

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 ...

" Rogers – lyrics (tracks: 1, 2, 8, 15), additional lyrics (track 3), vocals (tracks: 4–7, 9–14, 16) *Eric "Pretty Lou" Ruth – additional vocals (track 8), backing vocals (track 14) *Ronald "Spigg Nice" Blackwell – additional vocals (track 8), backing vocals (track 14) *Peter "

" Philips – producer & mixing (track 2) *Garfield "Mr. Sexxx" Duncan – producer (tracks: 3, 6, 9, 16), recording (tracks: 3, 16), mixing (tracks: 3, 9, 16), production coordinator *Osten "

" Harvey Jr. – producer (tracks: 4, 5, 10) *Dexter "Big Dex" Archer – producer (tracks: 7, 8, 12–14), mixing (tracks: 12, 14) *Tim "Buttnaked Tim Dawg" Patterson – lyrics (tracks: 4, 11), producer (track 11), mixing (tracks: 1, 4, 5, 7, 11, 13, 15), A&R, stylist *Lamont "

" Coleman – producer (track 12) *Dwarf The Black Prince – producer (track 15) *Charles Suitt – co-producer (track 3), executive producer, A&R, management *Joe Quinde – mixing (tracks: 1, 4, 5, 7, 11–15) *Jamie Staub – engineering (track 2) *Chris Barnett – recording (tracks: 3, 16), mixing (tracks: 3, 9, 16) *Michael Sarsfield – mastering *Sandie Lee Drake – art direction *Kenny Gravillis – design *

Danny Clinch Danny Clinch (born 1964) is an American photographer and film director. Early life and education Born in Toms River, New Jersey, Clinch graduated from Toms River High School East in 1982. After attending Ocean County College, he attended the New ...

– photography *Kathy Baylor – A&R *Dino Delvaille – A&R *Lisa Lindo – stylist *Ericka Riggs – make-up

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Singles

References

External links

* {{Authority control Lost Boyz albums 1996 debut albums Albums produced by Pete Rock Albums produced by Easy Mo Bee Albums recorded at Greene St. Recording