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

BYGabriel Bras Nevares821 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 staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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