Today, May 27, is the birthday of New York's own Jadakiss, who is now a newly minted 43-year-old.

A native of Yonkers, New York, Jadakiss inked his first deal with Bad Boy Entertainment in 1994 as one third of the hip-hop trio, The LOX. As a group, The LOX first caught the public's ear with a tribute to The Notorious B.I.G on the B-side of Puff Daddy's "I'll Be Missing You." Jadakiss continued to shine enough to branch out on his own and in 2001, Kiss dropped Kiss Tha Game Goodbye.

Now, 20 years and 5 albums later, Jadakiss is still undeniably a prominent figure when it comes to hip-hop. With an signature voiced tone, an unmistakable ad-lib and accolades from fellow MCs from both Coasts, Jadakiss has proved his staying power as one of New York rap's most impressive talents. If you don't believe us, just spin his last album, 2015's Top 5 Dead or Alive or his freestyle over Remy Ma and Fat Joe's "All The Way Up."

2016 was another great year for fans of Jada. In March of that particular year, Jada announced a joint tape on the way with another New York staple, Fabolous. The tape was to be titled Freddy vs. Jason, and soon after it was announced, Kiss and Loso unloaded a freestyle over Future's Purple Reign track, "Wicked."

Adding on to the good fortune of Kiss fans, the Yonkers rapper was also present and accounted for during the 2016 Bad Boy Reunion, taking the stage to perform with The Lox. Later that year, Kiss and his legendary clique signed to Jay Z's Roc Nation and dropped Filthy America...She's Beautiful, their first new album in 16 years.

Continuing his artistic momentum, Jada and Loso unloaded their joint mixtape–now titled Friday on Elm Street—on Nov. 24, 2017. Keeping his pen game strong, Jada delivered a special guest appearance on Flatbush Zombies' Vacation in Hell album before linking up with Kodak Black on a mother-honoring tune by the name of "Mama." More than two decades into his career, Kiss remains an untouchable wordsmith. Salute.

Happy Birthday, Kiss!

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