006: "I'm Still In The Hood - But I Probably Should Move, Made Enough Money - I Don't Fuck Around, I Just Felt They Needed Me So I Stuck Around..."
006: "I'm Still In The Hood - But I Probably Should Move, Made Enough Money - I Don't Fuck Around, I Just Felt They Needed Me So I Stuck Around..."
The wisdom of an OG comes naturally to Jadakiss, who tells us there's more than meets the eye when it comes to people's quests for meaning
Friends,
My last newsletter post cleared 100 views - my first article to do so!
Thank you so much for supporting and sharing Bars Of Wisdom. I cannot thank you all enough.
But anyway, let’s get back to business...
There isn’t a boring day that goes by in the world of hip-hop. Album drops, beef between artists, daily debates; at any given moment, there’s an infinite paradigm of discussions taking place. So there’s a certain beauty in Jadakiss currently being the man of the hour; it’s like poetry in motion seeing him be the topic of conversation throughout the entirety of August (and hopefully beyond, in some capacity). He stood head and shoulders above his competitors and partners on the night of August 3rd, as The LOX absolutely bodied their Verzuz battle against Dipset. It’s wonderful to see a living legend get the flowers he deserves and have his moment, enjoying a spike of interest and appreciation in his music as a result. Long live Jadakiss, long live The LOX and long live Hip-Hop.
Jada is New York through and through. He lives it, he breathes it, he’s proud of it. He does his city justice every time he lays a verse and his craft comes under the spotlight. The hype before, during and after the battle was justified. The amount of highlights I could bring to your attention from The LOX’s Dipset demolition are staggering, but there’s one segment I’d particularly like to bring to your collective attention:
“New York, the real New York. I’m outside. I don’t live in Miami. I don’t live in Colorado. Come to my block and see me… All of ya’'ll know I be down here. This is Kiss. I’m outside!”
I found that little monologue at the start to be epic. It was from heart, and home is most certainly where the heart is as far as Jadakiss and his comrades are concerned. But this comes as no surprise when you rummage through his stellar collection of rhymes and the lifestyle he champions. Beyond his New York pride that’s clearly visible in his performance and choice of footwear, you will find moments throughout his career that display a strong consistency in his unbreakable bond with his hometown.
Alongside his partners Sheek Louch and Styles P, at the peak of Bad Boy Records’ popularity, The LOX made the tough decision to seek pastures new after disagreements with their marketed image. You can take the men out of Yonkers, but can never take Yonkers out of the men - the shiny suit era was most certainly not for them. Furthermore, alongside Styles P and other associates, Jada owns a juice bar placed right in the heart of Yonkers. With the intention of giving back to his community by providing a blueprint for a healthier living, Jada’s logic extends to his actions with tangible proof. Being a hometown hero comes with great responsibility, particularly in hip-hop. A shot-out to the hood is nice, but that’s easy to do. Jadakiss and Styles P put their money and work rate where their mouth is, a trait that can often be forgotten and lost in the modern age of performative acts and virtue signalling. Talk about skin in the game - many can and should take note.
This brings us onto this edition’s Bar Of Wisdom, which focuses on Jadakiss’ colossal feature on Lil Wayne’s “It’s Good” from 2011’s “Tha Carter IV”. This verse is the perfect embodiment of everything Kiss stands for as a man. Coming up against Wayne and Drake, the master wordsmith dropped knowledge bombs galore over his 16. He played the role of a veteran perfectly and schooled his adversaries without breaking a sweat.
“I’m still in the hood but I probably should move,
Made enough money, I don’t fuck around,
I just felt they needed me so I stuck around…”
You can’t help but feel that he summed up his whole career, mentality and purpose in the space of 60 seconds. Kiss’ identity is bigger than just being a revered hip-hop superstar. He acknowledges the role he can have as a leader to help those who have the same story as he does or once did. He uses his platform to create a legacy that’s bigger than and extends beyond himself. He had the funds to invest his riches in any way he wanted, but he specifically focused on bettering the everyday lives of his community whilst being within touching distance. It’s refreshing to see such determination in his mission, similar to how a prodigal son finds his way home to give back to the people. Bettering himself lead to bettering others too.
Beyond the noble loyalty and positive impacts of their entrepreneurship, Jadakiss and The LOX’s allegiance to their roots teaches a valuable lesson on our relationships with “home”. Leaving your nest is seen as a right of passage for the most part, but perhaps that viewpoint is far too skewed? The issues of “generation rent” are well documented and continuously create more problems for millennials and beyond, with a new housing “crisis” seemingly right around the corner at any given moment. The hyper-connectivity of technology has also had it’s fair share of criticism over the years too. Have we been blinded by unnatural expectations and status symbols/games? Maybe it’s time to take a step back like Jadakiss did and assess our situations objectively. There is no right or wrong answer, but maybe a healthier outlook and balance can lead to conclusions that benefit ourselves as well as those that surround us. Jadakiss felt like his hood needed him, so he built the perfect environment for himself to thrive globally and locally. You can be great from anywhere as long as you have a mission.
Do yourself justice, utilise your mind.
WhosAria
A Word On The Song/Artist
If you talk to hip-hop fans about Jadakiss, they will all say one thing unanimously: the only thing the man has missing from his CV is a classic solo album. Music, hip-hop and art can be complex sometimes, and the creative process can be difficult to decipher. But whatever the reason might be for him lacking this timeless solo body of work, Jadakiss has most certainly earnt his stripes throughout his career. With this track being the first lyrics off a feature that I’ve covered, I couldn’t think of a better artist to kickstart this lane with. He completely obliterates Lil Wayne and Drake with a verse that can have listeners breaking their rewind buttons.