He just rapped his raps and talked his shit, and he sent heads spinning. On Tuesday, though, Jada wore that workmanline consistency like gleaming golden armor. Jadakiss already did one Verzuz battle on his own, taking on Fabolous in the early pandemic days. Jadakiss always had a handful of verses that could make me clothesline my next-door neighbor, but his presence was the unflashy journeyman type. He’s been out there, cranking out decent records marred by middling for-the-radio singles. This should be the official submission for Jadakiss campaign as New York City Mayor /MF90QtBQfIįor most of the last two decades, it’s been all too easy to take Jadakiss for granted. But last Tuesday night, in the Theater at Madison Square Garden, Jadakiss cemented everlasting legend status. That room is now known as the Hulu Theater, and it’s not like it’s hallowed ground or anything I saw Snow Patrol in that motherfucker once. This was the first Verzuz battle to take place in front of a paying audience, and it happened in the same room where Suge Knight said that any rappers who didn’t want their label guys all in the video, dancing, should come to Death Row. Last Tuesday night, the Lox and Dipset, two titans of the last great era of ignorant head-slap New York rap music, faced off in a Verzuz battle. But then Jadakiss, in the middle of rapping his verse from “Felony N***as,” ripped Juelz Santana’s bandana off his head and threw it on the ground in front of a room full of people. I know which one I preferred, but these two entities were converging on the same point, attempting to age gracefully and set a good example for the kids. On the other: a duo of long-retired dayjobbers suddenly bursting out of obscurity with a new album of Kanye West beats that might as well have been sitting in a drawer since 2003. One one side: a rap deity, coming off of a Grammy win and a whole lot of spousal-abuse allegations, attempting to project composure and wisdom and national-treasure gravitas. I thought maybe I’d write about the new Kanye West-produced Abstract Mindstate album, too.
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