If there is one thing gangsta rappers pride themselves in, it's making an attention-grabbing statement that says - in a blatantly crude way - "I don't care." Hip-hopper Jadakiss accomplishes this and more on his recently released solo album, Kiss Tha Game Goodbye.
As the lead member of The Lox - also known as The Warlox - Jadakiss felt impelled to create a solo project because "(he) wanted to give (his) fans what they wanted," according to his recent interview with F.E.D.S. magazine. If violence, objectification of women and hustling money appeal to you, then perhaps you too will consider yourself a fan.
Jadakiss, whose real name is Jayson Phillips, collaborates with artists such as Eve, Snoop Dogg and Eminem in his first attempt at independence.
The album features songs like "Jada's Got a Gun," "Nasty Girl" and "We Gonna Make It." While this is definitely an album that will turn heads and break new grounds for The Lox as a group, it may also turn off radios - depending on personal opinion, of course.
Like a steak knife cutting through butter, the jagged words Jada sings pierce through the strong melodic beats on his album. Many of these words he uses perhaps are a bit too vulgar for the soft undertones of his syncopated rhythms.
For instance, one of his featured songs, "We Gonna Make It," includes violin-accentuated elevator vibes with lyrics like "Lucky 'cause I got game that cracks your back/ But that's not what I prefer/ I manufacture crack."
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
In another song titled "I'm a Gangsta," Jada spits "I'm a gangsta/ I'm a thug/ I'm a pimp girl/ And I'm a hustla, hustla ./ I'm a gangsta and I do gangsta shit/ Matter of fact you might as well call me Gangsta Kiss."
Furthermore, Jada's constant belittlement of women, references to the "crack game" and portrayal of raw violence give the album little in terms of variation and uniqueness from other rap albums of this sort.
Aside from Jada's aloof facade, the record's release followed a stressful time in his life. When The Lox switched labels from BadBoy to RuffRyders after a massive campaign staged by fans in 1999, rumors swirled about a conflict between Jada and Mr. "BadBoy" himself, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs.
Yet Jada remains collected and confident. "I'm cool with Puff.Business is business," he told The Source magazine in a recent interview. "You can't hold grudges. (The beef) wasn't as big as people made it out to be."
Unfortunately for Jada and The Lox, the fight for freedom cost them at least $3 million - how's that for "Mr. Bling-Bling?"
Concerning the rap game, Jada desperately seeks to dominate all aspects and origins. "The music business is similar to the crack game," Jada says in Vibe magazine. "I wanted to transform that energy into the game and do the same thing: get wild money without getting arrested."
Personally speaking, I was a bit turned off by this album's repetitiveness and felt it lacks a substantial amount of creative talent. It did, however, have some chill beats and funky remixes. But honestly, when will gangsta rappers learn that there is more to life than money, drugs, and - please excuse the term - "bitches?"
The term originality should be an essential part in the vernacular of all gangsta rappers - Jadakiss included.
