Jadakiss Reflects On Positive Opportunities & Outcomes From Iconic "Verzuz" Battle

BYGabriel Bras Nevares1.6K Views
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The Lox legend said that beyond an increase in monetary and press opportunities, he appreciated younger artists reaching out to him.

The Verzuz battle between The Lox and Dipset might go down as the series' best, and Jadakiss recently spoke on the positive opportunities it brought to his veteran career. Of course, the battle captivated so many, and a large part of that audience had Jada to thank. The Lox MC gave a stellar performance that secured his group's win, and he recently spoke on the I Am Athlete podcast on how it brought him much success. Even though he mentioned things like increased booking prices and press opportunities, he seemed most touched by the respect from the game's youngest.

"We did the Verzuz," the Yonkers native began. "The very next morning, Ye called, sent a jet. He sent a jet, we flew to Atlanta to the arena, did a song for his last album. Then it was just like a trickle down of opportunities coming left and right. Magazines, Rolling Stone, this and that. Shoutout to Fat Joe for 'Yesterday's price is not today's price!' The numbers on my featurings, performances, hostings, everything automatically shot up. My whole albums shot up on Apple and all of them platforms. A lot of the young artists called me that next day. That's- more than any money that I received or any of that, the next day, a lot of them reached out to me."

Jadakiss Speaks On The Positive Effects Of His "Verzuz" Battle

Granted, respect for the 47-year-old lyricist was long overdue from the younger generation and casual hip-hop fans alike. Since that event, The Lox's legacy and Jadakiss' reputation as an MC saw newfound public appreciation. For example, he recently praised a new mural of the rap collective in the Bronx. "This s**t mean!" he said of the artwork in an Instagram video.

Meanwhile, Jada is just as rooted in his career's history as he is appreciative and cognizant of its newfound glory. After Kanye West's series of bigoted and scrutinized public remarks during the fall of last year, the New York rapper emphasized empathy. As many hip-hop heads know, their mutual respect for one another is longstanding. “Prayer," he responded to a TMZ reporter's question on what Ye needs to move forward. "Everybody needs to pray for Kanye and let the lord work it out. It’ll be alright.” He went on to say that he supports artists no matter what and that Kanye should apologize "whoever he offended." Regardless of your take on his perspective, stick around on HNHH for the latest on Jadakiss.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a music and pop culture news writer for HotNewHipHop. He started in 2022 as a weekend writer and, since joining the team full-time, has developed a strong knowledge in hip-hop news and releases. Whether it’s regular coverage or occasional interviews and album reviews, he continues to search for the most relevant news for his audience and find the best new releases in the genre. What excites him the most is finding pop culture stories of interest, as well as a deeper passion for the art form of hip-hop and its contemporary output. Specifically, Gabriel enjoys the fringes of rap music: the experimental, boundary-pushing, and raw alternatives to the mainstream sound. As a proud native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he also stays up-to-date with the archipelago’s local scene and its biggest musical exponents in reggaetón, salsa, indie, and beyond. Before working at HotNewHipHop, Gabriel produced multiple short documentaries, artist interviews, venue spotlights, and audio podcasts on a variety of genres and musical figures. Hardcore punk and Go-go music defined much of his coverage during his time at the George Washington University in D.C. His favorite hip-hop artists working today are Tyler, The Creator, Boldy James, JPEGMAFIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.
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