Cover Story | The highly anticipated battle between The Lox and Dipset happened on Tuesday, August 3rd. There are several memorable moments in the battle, but the one that everyone has been talking about is…. Jada’s performance. He had already shown his acumen for entertainment in his previous Verzuz appearance against Fabolous back on June 29th. In both instances, Kiss did a great job of showcasing his lyrical prowess as well as the ability to allow his personality to entertain the crowd.
Born Jason Terrance Philips, Jadakiss began rapping at the age of 12. After signing with Bad Boy in 1994 with his childhood friends, Sheek Louch and Styles P. The signing allowed the trio to get recognition alongside acts like The Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy and Mase. Following this, The Lox would collab with Pop artists like Mariah Carey’s “Honey”, Puff Daddy’s “All About the Benjamin’s” and Mary J Blige’s on Can’t Get You Off My Mind”.
Although each of the artists, Jada, Styles and Sheek, held their own as a collective, Jadakiss went on to be the standout in the group. His first solo project “Kiss the Game Goodbye” was certified Gold by the RIAA. However, his biggest solo single came from his sophomore project released in 2004 entitled Kiss of Death. The lead track off the album “Why?” featuring Anthony Hamilton propelled the Yonkers, New York native to prominence amongst casual Hip Hop fans. Hamilton’s soulful melody over Kiss’ hard-hitting reality bars, combined with a little controversy, created the perfect storm for the single to jump to #11 on the Billboard Top 100.
Jada’s accomplishments go far beyond the albums sold and awards won. He has lifted himself to among the elite in Rap history. His legendary feuds with artists such as Beanie Sigel and 50 Cent have added to his placement among Hip Hop’s elite emcees. And although the Verzuz has been set up as a forum for artists to shine and put their many accomplishments on display, it has also shown that some catalogs have stood the test of time more than others. Jadakiss is definitely in that category.
