Jadakiss
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| Jadakiss | |
|---|---|
| Image:X |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jayson T. Phillips |
| Also known as | Jada, Kiss, The Predator, The Black Babe Ruth, The Champ, Al-Qaida Jada, Forty Cal Kiss, The Kiss Of Death |
| Born | May 27, 1975 , Brooklyn, New York |
| Origin | Yonkers, New York |
| Genre(s) | East Coast hip hop |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Label(s) | Roc-A-Fella Records Ruff Ryders D-Block Def Jam Recordings |
| Associated acts | Sheek Louch, Styles P, D-Block, Ruff Ryders, DMX, Swizz Beatz, Nas, Papoose, Supa Mario, Ja Rule, Nate Dogg, The Game |
Jayson Tyrone Phillips (born May 27, 1975), also known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper. He is a member of the group called The Lox. Jadakiss is one of three owners of the imprint known as D-Block. He recently signed to Roc-A-Fella Records, an imprint under Def Jam Records.
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[edit] Career
By the age of twelve, Jadakiss was a freestyle rapper, engaging in competitions. He and some of his friends were given the opportunity to compete in the "Jack the Rapper Competition" in Florida, where Jadakiss was noticed for his battle rap ability. He met Dee and Wah of the Ruff Ryders (then a management company), and began hanging out and battling outside of the Ruff Ryders' studio where artists like DMX made their first hits.
Jadakiss' most famous battle to date came in 2005 against James Tarleton, stage name Fresh 40. The battle went three and a half rounds before it was ended in celebration in a Jadakiss victory after his famous line "he's comin up short like sprint bars." Jadakiss has become famous around the internet for his freestyles, but has not had a publicly viewed battle to date, despite several offers from Smack DVD, a company made specifically to launch the careers of freestyle "battlers" usually several weeks before they release a debut album or mixtape.
Jadakiss founded the rap group the Warlox in 1994 with friends Jamaal, Sheek Louch, and Styles P. They later signed to Bad Boy Entertainment, where it was suggested that they change their name simply to "The LOX", which came to stand for Living Off eXperience. They made their first appearance on The Main Source's 1994 LP "Fuck What You Think" on the track "Set it Off".
The group, especially Jadakiss, developed a close relationship with The Notorious B.I.G., during which time Jadakiss was taken under Biggie's wing. The LOX's first multi-platinum hit was the tribute to Biggie called "We'll Always Love Big Poppa" (the B-side to Puff Daddy's "I'll Be Missing You") in 1997. In 1998, the LOX released Money, Power, Respect. Following this album, they left Bad Boy Records.
Jada's debut solo album, Kiss the Game Goodbye, was released in August 2001 under the Ruff Ryders/Interscope label. The album featured popular guests and producers such as Snoop Dogg and Swizz Beatz, but was written off as repetitive and uninspired. Jadakiss has acknowledged the criticism as, generally speaking, valid, saying the record was done less out of inspiration and more out of contract obligations to Bad Boy. The album produced the single "Put Ya Hands Up" with the chorus "Put ya hands up/nah, f**k that/ Put ya hands down" reflecting Jada's distance from the album.[citation needed]
Jadakiss' second album, Kiss of Death, was released in June 2004. Prior to the release, his fans were polled, and most claimed the rapper wasn't personal enough in his lyrical stylings.[citation needed] As a result, Jadakiss released the song, "Why?", which bared his innermost thoughts,[citation needed] and it became one of the biggest hits of that year, spawning a remix featuring Styles P, Common, Nas, and Anthony Hamilton. It remains as his biggest hit, peaking at #11 on the Hot 100. Another single from the record, "You Make Me Wanna" featured Mariah Carey and was a much more commercially driven love song. Kiss of Death did not reflect the popularity of its lead single, but it was better-received than his first effort, eventually achieving platinum-selling status.
Recently, in late 2007, Jadakiss signed to Jay-Z's Roc-a-Fella Records, a move Jay had been trying to arrange for a long period of time.[1] He reportedly will have an as-yet-untitled album on Roc-a-Fella in 2008, executive produced by both Jay-Z and the Ruff Ryders CEOs/management team of Dee and Wah.[2] The move comes on the heels of increased D-Block/Roc-a-Fella collaborations; in 2006, Kiss and former rival Beanie Sigel collaborated on DJ Khaled's album Listen..., and in 2007, on Freeway's album Free At Last, while Styles P has appeared on a radio freestyle with Freeway and Sigel. He has also appeared briefly in Jay-Z's latest video for his American Gangster second single, Roc Boys, in which he appears throwing up the famous Roc-a-Fella sign, "the Diamond."
On May 26th 2008, The New York Post reported in its Page Six section that Jadakiss has signed on to play a gang leader in Russell Costanzo's [3] provocative movie-directing debut, "The Tested" [1]
[edit] Controversy
[edit] Roc-a-Fella/Sigel
Jadakiss and the LOX were engaged in a long feud with several Roc-A-Fella Records artists, specifically Beanie Sigel and State Property, beginning in 2001. The two main diss tracks are "Fuck Beanie Sigel" by Jadakiss and "Fuck Jadakiss" by Beanie Sigel. The Lox and State Property would continue to diss each other on radio freestyles and mix-tape songs for the next few years. The problem was eventually resolved, and since then, the LOX and Beanie Sigel have collaborated on various tracks together, including being listed as collaborators on "Barrell Brothers" from Ghostface Killah's album "The Big Doe Rehab".
[edit] P. Diddy
When the LOX left Bad Boy Records, the group's and each of its members' publishing was still owned by label head P. Diddy. The LOX released several tracks like "We Are The Streets" and "Blood Pressure" which allegedly were aimed towards P. Diddy. The group fought with him over royalties, debt issues and other things until 2005 when they briefly put their differences aside to perform with Jay-Z at his "I Declare War" concert. Afterward, they went on New York radio station Hot 97 to ask for their publishing, which was given to them by Diddy.
[edit] 50 Cent
In 2004, Jadakiss and Fat Joe were featured in Ja Rule's "New York" anthem. In this song, Ja Rule took subliminal but obvious shots at 50 Cent. In turn, 50 Cent made a song titled "Piggy Bank" in which he disses Fat Joe and Jadakiss. This caused Jadakiss to release "Checkmate","Problem Child", and "Ms. Jackson." 50 Cent responded with the song "I Run NY." Jadakiss and 50 Cent's differences seemed resolved in February 2007, when Styles P called into HOT 97 and talked with 50 Cent and squashed the beef. In January 2008, 50 Cent said he has no beef with Jadakiss.
[edit] Bill O'Reilly
Jadakiss attracted some controversy and condemnation from commentator Bill O'Reilly, who labeled him a "smear merchant" due to lyrics in the song "Why?", which state Jada's belief that George W. Bush coordinated the September 11, 2001 attacks:
"Why do niggas push pounds of powder? Why did Bush knock down the towers?" In the music video for "Why", a man holds up a picket sign reading "BUCK FUSH".
O'Reilly took the position that the President should be allowed to sue Jadakiss for slander. The track was eventually banned on some radio stations or played with the lyrics in question censored.[2] [3] [4] [5]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Solo
- 2001: Kiss tha Game Goodbye
- 2004: Kiss of Death
- TBD: Kiss My Ass
[edit] D-Block(The LOX)
- 1998: Money, Power & Respect
- 2000: We Are the Streets
- TBD: Live, Suffer, Celebrate
[edit] Solo singles
| Year | Song | Top 100 | Hot R&B | Hot Rap | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | "We Gonna Make It" (featuring Styles P.) | - | 53 | 5 | Kiss tha Game Goodbye |
| "Knock Yourself Out" | - | 34 | - | ||
| "Put Ya Hands Up" | - | 80 | - | ||
| 2004 | "Time's Up!" (featuring Nate Dogg) | 70 | 26 | 19 | Kiss of Death |
| "Why" (featuring Anthony Hamilton) | 11 | 4 | 3 | ||
| "U Make Me Wanna" (featuring Mariah Carey) | 21 | 8 | 9 |
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.nypost.com/seven/05262008/gossip/pagesix/we_hear_______112522.htm
- ^ Counterbias: Rapper Jadakiss, In New Song Lyric, Suggests Bush Complicity In 9/11 Attacks
- ^ Abstract Dynamics: Why?
- ^ USATODAY.com - Rapper Jadakiss blames Bush for September 11 in new song
- ^ FOXNews.com - The Smearing of America Continues - Bill O’Reilly | The O’Reilly Factor
[edit] External links
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