Jadakiss knows his way around a diss record. The legendary rapper has dropped absolute bombs on the likes of 50 Cent, Ja Rule and Fat Joe. His opinion on the art of beef carries more weight than most. Jada being an authority on the matter is what makes his opinion on Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" so unique. Some many have expected the rapper to praise the song, which he did to a degree. He then delved into the downsides of the song, though, and the ways it which it could harm rap feuds moving forward.
"We don't need to hear 53 more 'Not Like Us'-es," Jadakiss asserted. The rapper warned young artists to not chase a sound was successful for Kendrick Lamar. He doesn't want to see them emulate the flow and sound in an effort to attain chart and Grammy success. "When you go to create," Jadakiss added. "Don't try to make that. We do have a lot of people where, once one thing hits, everybody's calling the producer." The former LOX member added that the imitation songs "never work," and simply cheapen what made the original so special.
Does Jadakiss Like Kendrick Lamar?
Jada wasn't critical for the duration of his 7PM In Brooklyn podcast appearance. He praised Kendrick Lamar for taking a less homogenized sound and making it popular. Jada lamented the fact that hip hop has become very samey, and liked the way Lamar made a West Coast-centric album with GNX. He also gave the rapper his flowers for making a diss record that was commercially accessible. "That's another thing that's genius with Kendrick," Jadakiss stated. "He made a single... A Billboard charting thing. I think it's fire."
The most surprising aspect of Jada's interview, though, was his praise for Drake. The rapper noted that Drake did the "diss record as commercial hit" to Meek Mill years before Lamar. "Drake did it with Meek," he recalled. "Drake did it, a few times. Kendrick did it. I think the sh*t is ill." All tough talk aside, though, Jadakiss made headlines recently for hitting a karaoke bar with another New York legend, Nas. The two men are longtime admirers, and Nas even put Jada in his top five.
