Jadakiss had lengthy been amongst hip-hop’s most acclaimed emcees, with scene-stealing bars on LOX hits and on outstanding visitor appearances for hits for everybody from Mya to Mary J. Blige. However on his debut album, Kiss The Sport Goodbye, he lastly had the solo platform to focus on what he may do sans Kinds P and Sheek Louch of the LOX. The consequence was an excellent first shot from an MC who one way or the other polished his road attraction whereas dropping a venture that would additionally sit comfortably alongside slicker pop fare.
Certainly, Kiss The Sport Goodbye is arguably probably the most balanced providing from the early 2000s Ruff Ryders period. Hit single “We Gonna Make It,” produced by The Alchemist, grew to become the road anthem of summer time 2001. However when the album got here out, it was clear that Jada was pleased to work with all types of producers: The Neptunes, DJ Premier, and Ruff Ryders hitmaker Swizz Beatz all contributed stellar tracks. And the album by no means sounds incohesive and scattershot. The connective tissue is most clearly Jada himself: He jumps from monitor to trace with out ever shedding his grit; his everyman persona nonetheless sitting entrance and heart, at the same time as he raps about gunplay. And belief: There was no scarcity of gunplay.
Take heed to Jadakiss’s Kiss Tha Sport Goodbye now.
Produced by Swizz, the ominously thumping “Jada’s Received a Gun” is traditional NY gun rap; proof that Kiss is among the finest at making hood menace sound relatable. “Present Self-discipline” options Nas, providing a showcase for 2 of probably the most acclaimed lyricists within the recreation sparring over a beat that echoes the notorious “I Been Watching You” from The Southside Motion. Shifting gears, Kiss sounds simply at dwelling over the skittering funk of The Neptunes on “Knock Your self Out,” whereas his LOX compadres present an help on Preemo’s dirty traditional “None Of Y’all Betta.”
The album’s best strengths are Jada’s charisma and his versatility. He by no means sounds out of his component; it doesn’t matter what sonic context or subject material. “Cruisin’” finds the Yonkers native dabbling in slightly West Coast taste with Snoop Dogg, a profitable collaboration from a interval when cross-regional visitor spots had gone from awkward olive branches to extra real and impressed pairings. The vibe continues by means of the R&B-flavored “Kiss Is Spittin,” which options Nate Dogg and reworks the identical Michael McDonald pattern from ubiquitous 90s mainstay “Regulate.”
The second half of the album exhibits the Ruff Ryders camp circling the wagons, with visitor appearances from Eve, Drag-On, and, in fact, DMX. The crew was on the peak of their powers; and “It’s Time I See You” is certainly one of their most underrated posse cuts. Darkish Man X’s bombast and pathos is on full show on “Un-Huhn,” one of many album’s most combative tracks. “Really feel Me” is a kind of hip-hop interludes that you just want have been far longer, as Alchemist laces Kiss with one of many album’s most impressed productions. Issues shut with the wistful and introspective “Preserve Ya Head Up,” that includes Ann Nesby and referencing “Optimistic” by Sounds Of Blackness.
Today, Jada is well known as probably the greatest spitters within the historical past of hip-hop. Kiss The Sport Goodbye is arguably the very best distillation of his abilities. At a time when crunk dominated the airwaves and flossier rappers have been changing into moguls, Jadakiss fired a shot for the streets. That it was in a position to additional his mainstream attraction (with out these shiny fits) is a testomony to the greatness of his imaginative and prescient.
Take heed to Jadakiss’s Kiss Tha Sport Goodbye now.
In celebration of hip-hop’s fiftieth anniversary, uDiscover Music is publishing 50 album evaluations all through 2023 that spotlight the breadth and depth of the style. The Hip-Hop 50 emblem was designed by Eric Haze, the thoughts behind iconic graphics for EPMD and LL Cool J.