Puff Daddy & the Family

No Way Out is the debut studio album by American hip-hop artist Puff Daddy, released on July 1, 1997 through record label Bad Boy Records. The label also receives official crediting on the album as "The Family", and the album's guest appearances are largely made up of the label's artists. Production is largely handled by Puff Daddy (real name Sean Combs) and various members of production group The Hitmen. The album, executively produced by Combs himself, The Notorious B.I.G. and Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie of The Hitmen, is predominantly rap-based, although it features generally introspective content, largely focused on close friend The Notorious B.I.G.'s killing on March 9, 1997: however, the album features several more aggressive and positive songs recorded before the shooting. Originally titled Hell Up In Harlem, the album underwent several changes after the death of his close friend emotionally affected Combs, who postponed the album in order to record several of the album's more emotional songs.