No Way Out

No Way Out is the debut studio album by American rapper Puff Daddy. It was released on July 22, 1997, through Arista Records and Puff Daddy's own Bad Boy Records. The album is credited to "Puff Daddy & the Family," with "the Family" referring to guest appearances from his signees at Bad Boy. Puff Daddy collaborated extensively with the Notorious B.I.G. and his production team the Hitmen during the making of the album. Its direction was heavily influenced by the murder of the Notorious B.I.G. months prior to its release. This album conveys this as a tragic event with a profound impact on Puff Daddy, who channels both aggressive and introspective lyrics capturing the before-and-after of his death. Additional production was contributed by Big Jaz, while the album features appearances from the Notorious B.I.G., as well as Busta Rhymes, Mase, Lil' Kim, Carl Thomas, Jay-Z, Black Rob, the LOX, Ginuwine, Twista, Foxy Brown, Faith Evans, and 112.