DJ Finesse & Jadakiss: R&B Hits

What makes an MC a complete MC is the ability to write more than just battle rhymes and rip beats, it’s the gift to create whatever's necessary in order to make music. When it comes to hip-hop few MCs have that gift. Biggie, Tupac, Jay – all were able to rip mics with that hardcore ish, but also able to add hot verses to R&B joints. Not even Nas was ever able to make a dope R&B track (No Disrespect to God’s son, just pointing out the facts). On the low Jadakiss is just as capable as the aforementioned hip-hop legends. It’s about time someone put his side work on display with this mixtape.

They’re all here for my enjoyment and your enlightenment. From his verse to his first would-be crossover hit on Mya’s “Best of Me” (Jay-Z stomped out any hopes of that becoming a huge record when he recorded the remix that ruled the summer of 2000) to his verse on the seldom heard but much appreciated Sterlin Simms joint, “I Need Love.”

Don’t get me started on how he just blazed Usher’s “Throwback.” That joint got more burn than Hydro in the mid 90s when he hit the nail on the head saying, “I’m tryin’ to stay strong, I don’t wanna crack but I need her/and she told me I was gonna want her back, shoulda believed her/now I’m wishing I could throw me back/to that exact spot where we found L-O-V-E at/lose something I lose again, when I’m gonna win some? I said a lot of things out of anger, but I meant some/I bought a lot of things to the table besides income/I just want things to go back to how they used to be/I was used to you and I thought you was used to me/time is against me/you never miss something till it’s gone, that’s my word ma, you convinced me…” I was just coming off a break-up and that verse right there… *I’m chokin’ up like A-Rod at his press conference when he was about to address his teammates*

In a lot of ways, Kiss was able to tap into a real nucca’s emotions and spill em on tracks without sacrificing any of his masculinity. Just listen to his verse on Mashonda’s “Can’t Leave The Block.” When the record was over the hardest dudes would be like, “Word” and shorties would be open off them too. That’s what separates an average rapper from an MC. But Jada’s been doing it for years and is still considered inferior to today’s platinum artists. I just don’t get it. Jada’s a complete MC. Take a listen to this mixtape and tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about.-The Infamous O

Hottest Joint: “Best Of Me”

Weakest Joint: “We Belong Together Remix”