All-Time Rap Artists #18: Jadakiss

JADAKISS

Jadakiss comes in at the #18 position on the list of All-time Rap Artists.  His raspy voice is very distinctive from all other artists, and with his lyrical delivery, is regarded to be one of the best rhymers to pick up a microphone.

Just as any kid with a love for hip-hop, Jadakiss started off as a freestyle rhymer who caught the attention of Ruff Ryders co-founders Dee and Wah.  He started battling in front of Ruff Ryders' studios with the likes of DMX before linking up with Styles P and Sheek Louch.

After establishing himself as a true talent to be reckon with, Jadakiss, Styles P, and Sheek Louch signed to Bad Boy Records as the trio, The LOX.  At Bad Boy, he befriended and was taken under the wing of The Notorious B.I.G.  He received his first taste of mainstream success when he was featured on the B.I.G. tribute song, We Will Always Love Big Poppa.  Soon after, The Lox released their debut album, Money, Power, and Respect, which eventually went platinum.  But with the success of the album, Jadakiss, with the street mentality in his blood, grew tired of the flossy style of the label and signed with Ruff Ryders Entertainment.

His debut solo effort, Kiss The Game Goodbye, had a slew of features and producers to hype the effort, but it was not well received by the masses.  His second album, Kiss of Death, spawned his biggest hit, Why?, peaking at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100.  The song stirred the pot with some politicians and pundits when Jada mentions that the 9/11 terror attack was an inside job.  Over the course of all of his album releases, Jadakiss has always enlisted a mixture of R&B and hip-hop/rap artists to be features on the albums to gain appeal across multiple genres.

You can always hear Jadakiss on mixtapes, and guest features of R&B remixes, keeping his name out there and never disappointing.  His level to keep his rhymes as real and street as possible and brushing off the spotlight makes him a highly respectable artist.  Oh, and that trademark laugh.....

Lyrically, Jadakiss is one of the best to do it and now he's ventured off and have established a multimedia collective named SoRaspy, focusing on various online publications, apparel companies, monetized YouTube channels, and a record label.  In 2014, Jadakiss and his LOX partners, reinvested into their Yonkers community by opening a juice bar called Juice For Life.