Jadakiss Says He’s The Most Underrated MC On A Song That Reminds Who He Is

Jadakiss has been unusually quiet in 2019. Save for some high profile features, the typically prolific LOX MC has been completely off the grid. In April, however, during an interview with Joe Budden, Jada indicated the year would not conclude without him putting his mark on it. During that conversation, in response to being asked when his next album would arrive, Jada said “Soon. Real soon. Actually, I’m shooting a single; I’m shooting my video on Sunday, hopefully, this week. [Although it might not happen this week…So we’re supposed to do that, and then I still got a couple more songs to finish. This project is going to be called Ignatius. That’s my man ‘Icepick’ that passed. That was his real name. So, this is like a more feeling, more pain, not too much turn-up. None of that. Just some music you can appreciate.” Ignatius is a reference to Ignatius “Icepick” Jackson, who was an A&R executive for both Ruff Ryders and The LOX, over the years.

Jadakiss Has A Solo Album Coming Soon & The LOX Are Working Too (Video)

Now, nearly 6 months to the day of that interview, Jadakiss has released the first song from Ignatius, along with a short film dedicated to his fallen friend. As the title suggests, “ME” is a song in which Jadakiss reflects on who he is–to family, friends and Hip-Hop culture. The first verse is dedicated to the weight and responsibility he often feels, given his status. It’s in the second and third verses, however, where Jada puts on his Top 5 DOA hat and goes in about his impact as an MC. “Who can go the distance? Who? Who’s underrated? Who? Who’s the most consistent? Who get the real love?,” he raps. He continues his trip down memory lane with bars like “Bad Boy, Ruff Ryder, lotta money was made by (Me). Real talk
Large bag from Steve Stoute, commercial with AI (Me). Good lookin’. One of the last of the OG to stay fly (Me). Mwah. Who else you know went at it with Beanie and 50 besides (Me). Who? Even threatened to throw a refrigerator at Diddy, my God (Me) (Ha, ha)
.” Throughout, Jada uses the vocals from the soulful Peabo Bryson sample to emphasize his points.

The short film accompanying the song is a complete departure from the song’s lyrics. The 9-minute visual stars Jadakiss, Peter Greene (Pulp Fiction, The Mask) and Hassan Johnson (“Wee-Bey” from The Wire). The three men are involved in a heist together that goes sideways. The message of the film is one of the importance of loyalty. The slick visual is directed by Kid Art, who also did Meek Mill and Drake’s “Going Bad.” The song only serves as the soundtrack for the opening and closing credits.

While Jadakiss has had projects with The LOX and Fabolous in recent years, Ignatius will be his first solo album since 2015, and his first since joining forces with Roc Nation in 2016. The release date for the LP has not yet been disclosed.