Jason Phillips, known to most as Jadakiss, did an interview yesterday with BET.com regarding the state of hip-hop. The Yonkers-based emcee told BET he felt that as rap took off New York rappers got complacent because they were getting paid which eventually caused the quality of music to drop and allowed for other regions to rise to the hip-hop throne.

The concept is nothing new – you snooze, you lose. What’s refreshing is to see an artist, especially an artist who has been in the game for so long, point the finger at himself instead of going down the Ice-T path of blaming other people or factors for the “death” of rap. Maybe this ethos Kiss has adopted has paid off; 100,000 copies in a week is nothing to sneeze at.

Where would New York hip-hop be today without this man? Seriously, how many other NY rappers you know that can make animal noises with a straight face and still somehow manage to kick ass at Word Association?

VladTV.com cornered J to the Mwah and asked him to name his favorite rappers.

Yesterday was the first time I ever bothered to join a phone conference. It turned out to be the greatest phone conference EVER. Oh, and I’m slightly drunk, so don’t quote me on that. Jadakiss arrived late, exchanged pleasantries with some cronies who kept calling in with exciting questions like “Hey Kiss, how can I get you to my barbershop for a buzz cut?” for 30 minutes, smoked a blunt, and then said some really interesting things. And not in that order.

This was the best quote of the entire conference:

Question: Is the recession affecting your album in anyway?
Jadakiss: “The recession is actually why I’m dropping the album, because of the recession of the music. It’s like a CD-Gatorade to help you get your nutrients back. I’m happy that there’s a recession. Get it back buzzing. Crazy.”

More memorable quotables from Jadakiss phone conference after the gap. Read the rest of this entry »

Jadakiss – “Letter to B.I.G.”

Cuban Link once wrote a letter to Pun, but it was more like an opportunity to air out some dirty laundry than a tribute. What I like about Jada’s “Letter to B.I.G.” is that — a few boastful lines notwithstanding — it sounds heartfelt and genuine. Of course, it helps that he’s writing this letter to B.I.G. How come no one ever writes to MC Brian or Billy the Rapper?

Behold the Rik Cordero-directed video for Jada’s street single, “Who Run This.” The Last Kiss arrives on December 9th.

Jada wanted to pull a Nas and call his Def Jam debut Kiss My A$$, but the men in suit shut him down promptly. The Last Kiss drops on December 9, 2008.

Jadakiss (feat. Jay-Z) – “Who Run This”
Jigga plays Flavor Flav to Jada’s Chuck D. I don’t think anyone thought this possible 5 years ago.