Jadakiss

Between his distinctively hoarse voice, an equally scratchy laugh and a long-proven capability for street-smart rhymes, Jadakiss has staked out his corner in New York City's hip-hop scene. The MC born Jason Phillips in 1975 began his career as a member of The Lox, a hardcore rap outfit from Yonkers, New York, under the Bad Boy Records imprint. As the fire-spitting collective displayed seamless on-wax chemistry and a successful string of lyrical performances on '90s hits—namely the title track on their debut effort, Money, Power, Respect, and Diddy's 1997 posse cut "It's All About The Benjamins"—'Kiss quickly became a marquee MC. After The Lox fiercely advocated for a release from their contract and liberated their second album, We Are The Streets, through the Swizz Beats-led Ruff Ryders label, Jadakiss launched his solo career with Kiss Tha Game Goodbye in 2001. Singles like the triumphant "We Gonna Make It" and Neptunes-produced "Knock Yourself Out" proved that Jadakiss could navigate commercial success as adeptly as the streets. He followed up with 2004's Kiss of Death, propelled by "Why?", a massive protest anthem that some radio stations banned for questioning President George Bush's involvement in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Following a blistering run of mixtapes, Jadakiss found a home at Def Jam, where he's continued to reveal new sides of himself: on 2020's Ignatius, he grieves the death of his best friend and A&R man—the album's namesake—via reflective rhymes ("Pearly Gates"), thundering production ("Huntin Season") and a set of wishlist collaborations, including Pusha T, Rick Ross and 2 Chainz. Jadakiss drops studio LPs at his own pace, but not at the expense of his relevance—his unmistakable voice and sharp punchlines hold weight long beyond an album cycle.