S. Samuel
The Lox's Jadakiss recently gave advice on what rappers need in order to compete in today's latest form of free publicity--rap beefs.
Along with offering tips, Jada broke down the lack of seriousness found in most rap beefs today.
“You need the people on your side if you’re feuding with any artist or anybody,” Kiss explained. “If the people believe in you and they behind you, you’ll be able to have a good come out in the end, like the results will be all right. And then, these rap feuds be really frivolous like you know what I mean, they don’t be like, it’s not really over money or it’s not over somebody violating somebody’s family. I mean now they gettin’ to that with this whole Internet thing you know what I mean. You’re able to make the visuals and do more stuff with it but it really don’t be, the artists don’t really have real malice for each other so after you put the media aside and all the people that’s in your ears from the camps, you’re able to sit-down and talk like men and do music and get on with it and make money and do beneficial things for both parties. So that’s why you hear me on songs with [Beanie] Sigel, that’s my homie. I done spoke with 50 [Cent] quite a few times, you might hear some D-Block, G-Unit collabos in the future.” (Hard Knock TV)
Kiss previously weighed in on the rap war between Rick Ross and 50 Cent.
“Don’t count Ross out,” Jada said in an interview. “When I was going through it with 50, I’m glad he didn’t have ThisIs50.com ’cause that’s like a crazy outlet. He don’t even gotta do no music, he can just do wild skits and put new stuff on there and new paperwork and everything and that’s drawing in so much traffic and attention that it’s almost like slaughter…We should try to keep it at the music as much as possible. It’s good that he put wild skits and funny cartoons and stuff on the site…but the most theraputic for hip-hop is them to keep dropping songs. That’ll keep the violence out of it. That’ll make the people want it more.” (Shade 45 VIP Saturdays)
Fellow New York-bred emcee Busta Rhymes also expressed his concern on keeping battles strictly wax-based.
“I’m a big fan of Rick Ross,” Busta said in an interview. “I’m a big fan of 50. I just feel like it’s great entertainment, I just hope it stays that way…When it’s to the street, it ain’t about the rhymes anymore. It’s about poppin’ somebody’s head off and compromising somebody’s well-being…Motherf*ckers need to start undestanding that as far as hip-hop…a lot of the sh*t we’re seeing, people might call it real beef but it ain’t real beef until it get in the street. A lot of this sh*t is entertainment…Until it becomes real beef, it ain’t real beef. It’s just a lot of motherf*ckers outwitting each other…If we’re gonna compete, it’s about strategically moving your chess pieces. Whose gonna out-think the other opponent and whose gonna cross the finish line as the victor.” (Miss Info)
Known for going head-to-head with artists from Roc-A-Fella and G-Unit, Jada has called out rappers’ lack of rhyming skills in past battles.
“He’s not lyrical,” Jadakiss said of 50 in a March 2005 interview. “He makes good songs but he’s not a better lyricist than me. Put all the money, the units, put everything behind us, plus the good old-fashioned lyrics and an instrumental, and I’ll wear him out. You know that. The whole world knows that. I know and I’m humble.” (MTV News)
Check out Kiss’ interview below:
[For more coverage on rap battles check out SOHH Presents Beef]
