Jadakiss

Jadakiss built his reputation on a signature gravelly delivery paired with uncompromising hardcore lyricism, first rising alongside the LOX as part of the Bad Boy and Ruff Ryders circle before carving an independent path through Ruff Ryders and Def Jam. A run of Top Ten solo projects began with Kiss tha Game Goodbye in 2001 and reached the summit with Kiss of Death in 2004, whose controversial and Grammy-nominated “Why?” helped both albums earn RIAA gold status. Later entries in that sequence arrived with Top 5 Dead or Alive in 2015, the Fabolous collaboration Friday on Elm Street in 2017, and Ignatius in 2020.

Born Jason Phillips in Yonkers, New York, he began as a teenage freestyle rapper and soon linked with Sheek Louch and Styles P in the Warlocks crew, later rebranded the LOX. The group reached the Top Ten on their first two albums, Money, Power & Respect in 1998 via Bad Boy and We Are the Streets in 2000 via Ruff Ryders. Jadakiss then launched his solo career with Kiss tha Game Goodbye, released on Ruff Ryders in 2001; the set debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 and was led by “We Gonna Make It” featuring Styles P, his first headlining rap-chart Top Ten single.

Kiss of Death followed three years later and gave Jadakiss his first Billboard 200 number-one album, propelled by two further rap Top Ten singles: “Why?” with Anthony Hamilton and “U Make Me Wanna” featuring Mariah Carey. The line “Why did Bush knock down the towers?” drew radio bans and political scrutiny, yet “Why?” still secured a Grammy nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. In 2007 Jadakiss shifted to Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records through Def Jam and completed his “kiss” series with Last Kiss, his third consecutive Top Ten release; charting singles showcased Ne-Yo, Faith Evans, and Swizz Beatz, while additional guests included Mary J. Blige, Nas, and Pharrell Williams.

After the 2011 commercial mixtape I Love You (A Dedication to My Fans), Jadakiss previewed “Big Boy Dialogue” as the intended lead single for his first proper 2010s album, ultimately issued as Top 5 Dead or Alive in 2015 and debuting at number four on the Billboard 200. The LOX delivered a third studio LP, Filthy America...It’s Beautiful, in 2016. The next year Jadakiss joined Fabolous for the horror-inspired Friday on Elm Street, which climbed into the Top Ten and featured Future, Swizz Beatz, and French Montana. Remaining with Def Jam, he issued his fifth solo album, Ignatius, in 2020, naming it after his longtime friend and manager Ignatius Jackson, known as Icepick Jackson, who had succumbed to cancer.