As an avid fan of Jadakiss solo debut Kiss The Game Goodbye, the wait for Kiss Of Death was interesting, to say the least. At the time, Jada's name was respected throughout the game, with many of his peers steering him toward the "Top 5 Dead Or Alive" position he'd eventually come to adopt. With his stock rising, it's clear that Interscope was determined to maximize his star potential, throwing the Ruff Ryders icon buckets of cash to build a blockbuster summer album. And thus came Kiss Of Death, a shinier step forward from its gritty and raw predecessor.
While the album itself remains divisive among his die-hard fanbase, "Welcome To D Block" remains a monumental addition to his catalog. For one, it marks Jada and Eminem's first official collaboration, the likely product of Slim shouting him out on "Till I Collapse." Of course, D Block was present on Green Lantern's Invasion tapes, a tenuous yet sturdy link. Here, however, Jada and Slim approach the somber beat as equals, with Slim in particular at the height of his post-50 "gangsta" phase. Throw in the added power of Styles and Sheek to round this one out, and "Welcome To D Block" makes for a legendary collaboration of two unlikely partnerships.
Quotable Lyrics
Place where ain't nobody that proud, it's a fucking black cloud
That got people under the impression they can act wild
Working around though, cause if you can pull a trigger on the pound yo
Five minutes flat, the whole town know
Lotta assuming a n***a's salary
More lies than truth, definitely more rumors than reality
Only way you beating a body is a technicality
Other than that catch 'em in Clinton on the gallery
- Jada