60 RAPPERS IN 60 DAYS: Jadakiss

By Keith Murphy
Jay-to-the-Muah weighs in on his surprising sales

It’s a cliché but the truth is Jason “Jadakiss” Phillips, 34, is indeed your favorite rapper’s rapper. The Yonkers, N.Y., MC and member of the veteran rhyme outfit The LOX has long been praised for his two-fisted tenacity on the mic. With a raspy voice that sounds like he’s just finished off a carton of Newports, Jada has shared the booth with some of hip hop’s greatest lyricists, from The Notorious B.I.G. (The LOX’s “You’ll See”) to Jay-Z (“Reservoir Dogs”) to Nas (“Made You Look [remix]”). The April release of his third solo album, The Last Kiss (Ruff Ryders /Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam), is one of the year’s biggest surprise hits with first-week sales surpassing 135, 000 copies. More proof the respected MC is still killing the game one rhyme at a time. A-hhhhhhaaaaaaa!
VIBE: How gratified were you that the fans came out for an artist who’s been making records for more than a decade?

Jadakiss: It felt great. The numbers are amazing for me not to have a big song at radio. And that’s what the labels go off [of]. If you don’t have an instant hit on radio they will count you out. I just watched that almost happen with me. But me having that loyal fanbase and just the love for the streets, I was able to go beyond the numbers they thought I would do.
You’re a member of The LOX, one of the last big hip hop groups to do it. Who are your top three hip hop groups of all time?

I have to start with Run-D.M.C. because they inspired me to do hip hop. “Sucker M.C.’s” instantly grabbed my ears. Next, it’s EPMD because they are so underrated. I got all of their albums, even the solo joints. The in-and-out rhymes, the wordplay, the way P sounded different from Erick Sermon, but they still sounded like a team. They brought so much flavor and I just love that about them. And then there’s N.W.A. It was all about their I-don’t-give-a-fuck attitude. They sold all those records without having a radio song similar to what I do, but even more massive.

What was the first pair of sneakers you bought with your own money?

A pair of Air Force 1’s, the original high-top joints with the strap that hangs on the back. They were white and silver. Back then you could only get the exclusive colors at a couple of stores on Fordham Road and at this other spot in the Bronx. So when I copped those, it was crazy. And it took me a year before I even wore them [laughs]. I was just amazed to have them because all of my uncles and the bigger dudes were wearing them. I felt like I was stepping into the game.

Are there any new MCs that you’re checking for right now?

I’m listening to everybody. Definitely all the new cats like Red Cafe, Maino, Drake, Kid Cudi and Asher Roth.

It seems like everyone is shouting out Drake these days, huh?

Yeah. It’s a big world out here. It’s not necessarily about me liking all of the newer cats because I have to hear a nice body of work before I say I like an artist. But for them to actually capture my ear—it’s because they’re poppin’. If the kids love them you have to give it a listen.

Do you have your own favorite 16 bars that you’ve recorded?

It’s really all for me. I can’t even give you a favorite.

Okay, I’ll do it for you: Jay-Z’s “Resevoir Dogs.”

You might have hit it right on the spot [laughs]. The day we did “Reservoir Dogs” we were flying back to JFK from a show and we got the call that Hov wanted us to come. We went right to the studio with our luggage on us. I wrote my part right in the studio. Most of my rhymes are done right on the spot. I was trying to murder that track [laughs]. That’s the attitude you have to have on every song you do.