By the age of twelve, Jadakiss was a freestyle rapper, engaging in competitions. He and some of his friends were given the opportunity to compete in the "Jack the Rapper Competition" in Florida, where Jadakiss was noticed for his battle rap ability. He met Dee and Wah of the Ruff Ryders (then a management company), and began hanging out and battling outside of the Ruff Ryders' studio where artists like DMX made their first hits.
Jadakiss founded the rap group the Warlox in 1994 with friends Jamaal, Sheek Louch, and Styles P. They later signed to Bad Boy Entertainment, where it was suggested that they change their name simply to "The LOX", which came to stand for Living Off eXperience. They made their first appearance on The Main Source's 1994 LP "Fuck What You Think" on the track "Set it Off".
The group, especially Jadakiss, developed a close relationship with The Notorious B.I.G., during which time Jadakiss was taken under Biggie's wing. The LOX's first multi-platinum hit was the tribute to Biggie called "We'll Always Love Big Poppa" (the B-side to Puff Daddy's "I'll Be Missing You") in 1997. In 1998, the LOX released Money, Power, Respect. Following this album, they left Bad Boy Records.
Jada's debut solo album, Kiss the Game Goodbye, was released in August 2001 under the Ruff Ryders/Interscope label. The album featured popular guests and producers such as Snoop Dogg and Swizz Beatz, but was written off as repetitive and uninspired. Jadakiss has acknowledged the criticism as, generally speaking, valid, saying the record was done less out of inspiration and more out of contract obligations to Bad Boy. The album produced the single "Put Ya Hands Up" with the chorus "Put ya hands up/nah, f**k that/ Put ya hands down" reflecting Jada's distance from the album.
Jadakiss' second album, Kiss of Death, was released in June 2004. Prior to the release, his fans were polled, and most claimed the rapper wasn't personal enough in his lyrical stylings.[citation needed] As a result, Jadakiss released the song, "Why?", which bared his innermost thoughts,[citation needed] and it became one of the biggest hits of that year, spawning a remix featuring Styles P, Common, Nas, and Anthony Hamilton. It remains as his biggest hit, peaking at #11 on the Hot 100. Another single from the record, "You Make Me Wanna" featured Mariah Carey and was a much more commercially driven love song. Kiss of Death did not reflect the popularity of its lead single, but it was better-received than his first effort, eventually achieving platinum-selling status.
Recently, in late 2007, Jadakiss signed to Jay-Z's Roc-a-Fella Records, a move Jay had been trying to arrange for a long period of time. He reportedly will have an as-yet-untitled album on Roc-a-Fella in 2008, executive produced by both Jay-Z and the Ruff Ryders CEOs/management team of Dee and Wah. The move comes on the heels of increased D-Block/Roc-a-Fella collaborations; in 2006, Kiss and former rival Beanie Sigel collaborated on DJ Khaled's album Listen..., and in 2007, on Freeway's album Free At Last, while Styles P has appeared on a radio freestyle with Freeway and Sigel. He has also appeared briefly in Jay-Z's latest video for his American Gangster second single, Roc Boys, in which he appears throwing up the famous Roc-a-Fella sign, "the Diamond."
On May 26th 2008, The New York Post reported in its Page Six section that Jadakiss has signed on to play a gang leader in Russell Costanzo's provocative movie-directing debut, "The Tested"
Last Days
Jadakiss Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm back, no more love songs, my young boy Philly do his thing with the gloves on.
My other man blew trial, they got a dub for em' Treat his son like he mine, nothing but love for him.
Yeah, V10, White M, Black Guts, No Tints, And you can down-shift with your finger, it makes no sense.
The tip of the hawk, I'll poke your eye, coke is high, everybody is supposed to die.
You know me I give the grams to shorty, Let him get it off his hands for 40, Get his man some Orei's.
Big CNN fan, Still man's with N.
O.
E, And will not lose, cause nigga I demand the glory.
I got the globe covered, Niggas is cold-hearted and cold-blodded, Still the hoes love it.
I open up budgets, I'm thoroughly Re-in' BROKE IS SOMETHING YOU DON'T GOT TO WORRY ABOUT ME BEING.
I done scorched the projects, I'm a boss with logic, nothing but the man on the horse in my closets.
you see the "D", you know he reppin' he hold his weapon, EVERYBODY IS GARBAGE, NO EXCEPTIONS!
He's so nice but so mean, the old fiends say my 16's is tylenol with codiene.
Give em here, all I need is a dutch and an engineer, and I'll end a nigga career.
Yeah I can have your ass leaking tonight, yes-man in niggas camps got em thinking they nice.
Maybe they just under the influence, Or shit that they been doing, and don't know that it can get him ruined.
The lyrics of Jadakiss's song "Last Days" paint a picture of a man who has returned to the drug and crime-filled streets of his past. He talks about drugs like Haze and Kush from Cali, Old Denalis, and Baltimore, alluding to his familiarity with the criminal underworld. He talks about his young boy Philly, who is skilled in fighting with gloves on, potentially alluding to the illegal sport of bare-knuckle boxing. He also mentions how his friend blew his trial and got a dub for it, but he still treats his son like his own.
In the next verse, Jadakiss talks about his car, a V10 with black and white guts and no tints. He then talks about the violence that comes with the drug trade, saying that the tip of the hawk (referring to a gun) can poke your eye. He then switches back to talking about selling drugs and giving grams to shorties to get them off their hands. He mentions his respect and friendship with CNN and N.O.R.E., saying he's a man who demands the glory.
The last verse sees Jadakiss talking again about his skills as a rapper and drug dealer, saying that his 16 bars are like Tylenol with codeine to old fiends. He talks about needing just a dutch and an engineer to end someone's career and mentions how many rappers think they're nice because of their yes-men, but they don't understand how quickly it can all come crashing down.
Line by Line Meaning
Haze, Kush from Cali, old denail's, Baltimore, making dope sales in the alleys.
I sell various kinds of marijuana in Baltimore alleyways.
I'm back, no more love songs, my young boy Philly do his thing with the gloves on.
I've returned with a new style and Philly is now boxing.
My other man blew trial, they got a dub for em' Treat his son like he mine, nothing but love for him.
My friend got sentenced to 20 years and I'm looking out for his son.
Yeah, V10, White M, Black Guts, No Tints, And you can down-shift with your finger, it makes no sense.
I bought a fancy car that shifts gears at the push of a button and has no tinted windows.
The tip of the hawk, I'll poke your eye, coke is high, everybody is supposed to die.
I'll stab you with a gun and everyone will eventually die, even those on cocaine.
You know me I give the grams to shorty, Let him get it off his hands for 40, Get his man some Orei's.
I sell drugs to a kid who then sells them to others while I provide snacks for his friend.
Big CNN fan, Still man's with N.O.R.E, And will not lose, cause nigga I demand the glory.
I'm a fan of CNN and still friends with N.O.R.E. I refuse to be a loser and always strive for success.
I got the globe covered, Niggas is cold-hearted and cold-blodded, Still the hoes love it.
I'm successful worldwide, but people are cruel. However, women still love me.
I open up budgets, I'm thoroughly Re-in' BROKE IS SOMETHING YOU DON'T GOT TO WORRY ABOUT ME BEING.
I have money and don't need to worry about being broke.
I done scorched the projects, I'm a boss with logic, nothing but the man on the horse in my closets.
I've been successful in poor areas and I make wise decisions. The only thing in my closet is my expensive clothing.
you see the "D", you know he reppin' he hold his weapon, EVERYBODY IS GARBAGE, NO EXCEPTIONS!
I carry a gun and represent my neighborhood. People are generally awful, with no exceptions.
He's so nice but so mean, the old fiends say my 16's is tylenol with codiene.
I have a nice personality but can be cruel in my rap lyrics, according to older fans who liken my music to a painkiller.
Give em here, all I need is a dutch and an engineer, and I'll end a nigga career.
I can create successful music with only a cigar and a sound engineer and I can ruin someone's career easily.
Yeah I can have your ass leaking tonight, yes-man in niggas camps got em thinking they nice.
I can physically harm someone and their entourage is filling them with false confidence.
Maybe they just under the influence, Or shit that they been doing, and don't know that it can get him ruined.
Their false confidence might be due to drugs or bad decisions and they don't realize the consequences.
Writer(s): Chris Daughtry, Brian Howes
Contributed by Sydney O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@PaperChaserCEO
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@Strength860
Everyone that’s listening to this Masterpiece Throwback 🔥going through the Struggle/Pain hang in there i wish y’all Health Wealth Prosperity and Blessings
@jl6007
This kiss Verse over this Big instrumental.. CLASSIC. 20 years from now, this is STILL going to sound clean as hell.
@ceo1OO
" this ain't even a rap, it's a controlled substance..." 🎧
@SDSOverfiend
Been looking for this the last 5 years 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@MoneyIsVeryNecessary
Let’s go Kiss💪🏾💯🔥
@teegee7661
Damm yo kiss top 5 dead or alive. This is 2 guns up homie.
@blacksource2101
Throwback Kiss 😎🤙🏾
@BrandonClark-StocksPassports
Definitely in the hip hop hall of fame
@rocko7x
classic