Jason Phillips, who is from Yonkers, New York, developed a deeper appreciation for the hip-hop music genre by honing his skills as a freestyle rapper on the street corners of the city. He learned how to do this by seeing others do the technique.
It was around this time that he would eventually become acquainted with other rap musicians Sheek Louch and Styles P. As The Lox, the group gave live performances, released records, and went on tour between the years 1994 and 2001.
Then, beginning in 2001, Jadakiss embarked on a career as a solo artist under his name. He has released a total of six studio albums as a solo artist, in addition to six mixtapes, twelve singles, and eleven music videos.
1. Kiss of Death
Kiss of Death was Jadakiss’ second studio album, which he produced and released on June 22. Of the six albums he released, it was his most popular and debuted at the top of the US Billboard 200 and US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts after selling more than 246,000 copies in the US in the first week.
Additionally, it sold more than 500,000 copies in the US, earning the rap artist a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America for the second time. Numerous musicians collaborated with him on the album, however, the singles (Time’s Up!) with Nate Dogg, (Why) with Anthony Hamilton, and (U Make Me Wanna) with Mariah Carey were the ones that reached the top of the charts.
On the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs list, Time’s Up! peaked at number 19, while it debuted at number 70 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Why’re highest positions on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs list and the US Billboard Hot 100 were number four and eleven, respectively. U Make Me Wanna peaked at number twenty-one on the US Billboard chart.
2. Kiss tha Game Goodbye
Jadakiss’ first studio album, Kiss tha Game Goodbye, was released on August 7, 2001. It debuted at number two on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts and at number five on the US Billboard 200. Since then, the Recording Industry Association of America has awarded it gold certification.
Over 204,000 copies of the album were sold in the first week of release, out of the 500,000 sales it needed to hit that milestone. The first of the three singles that made the charts was (We Gonna Make It), which he sang with Styles P, a former bandmate from the Lox.
On the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, it peaked at number 53. The second song, (Knock Yourself Out), reached its high on the same chart at position number 34. The third song from the album to reach the charts, (Put Ya Hands Up), peaked at number eighty.
3. The Last Kiss
The third studio album by Jadakiss, (The Last Kiss), was made available on August 7, 2009. Jadakiss didn’t want to use this as the album title, but it had to be modified for business reasons so that stores would agree to stock it.
The Last Kiss opened at number three on the US Billboard 200, selling 134,520 copies in its first week of availability. On the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums list, it peaked at number one.
Four charting singles were included with the album, the first of which was (By My Side), which Jadakiss and Ne-Yo performed together. On the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, it peaked at number 53. The second hit, featuring Ayanna Irish, peaked at number 76 on the charts.
A song dedicated to the late rapper Notorious B.I.G. by Faith Evans, (Letter to B.I.G.) peaked at number 25 on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The trio of Jadakiss, Swizz Beatz, and OJ da Juiceman collaborated on the final hit single, “Who’s Real.” On the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, it peaked at position 39.
4. Top 5 Dead or Alive
The fifth studio album issued by Jadakiss, titled Top 5 Dead or Alive, was made available for purchase on November 20, 2015. The album debuted at position number four on the US Billboard 200 chart after its first week of availability, during which it had sales of 60,000 copies, making it the album’s debut week total.
It reached the highest position possible on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the United States. Although none of the songs taken from the album achieved any kind of success on the charts, the album as a whole was met with generally positive reviews from music critics.
5. Friday on Elm Street (featuring Fabolous)
Jadakiss’s fifth studio album is the result of a collaborative effort between Fabolous and Jadakiss, who recorded a total of twelve tracks together. (Friday on Elm Street) made its debut on the US Billboard 200 Albums chart at position number ten following sales of 35,000 copies of the album.
The entirety of the album was composed to pay tribute to the two most iconic characters in the history of the horror film genre: Jason from the Friday the 13th movie series and Freddy Kruger from the Nightmare on Elms Street movie series.
When the rap artists first conceived of the album, they planned to call it Freddy vs. Jason; however, they ran across legal obstacles that stopped them from doing so. The album was officially made available for purchase on November 24, 2017, but some of the songs had been made available for digital download earlier in the year.
(Rapture) was the first song, and it was made available for download as a promotional single in January. The lead song, which was titled “Stand Up” and featured the participation of Future’s rapping talent, was published on October 31 with the goal that it would be appropriate for the occasion of Halloween.
6. Ignatius
The sixth studio album by Jadakiss, (Ignatius), will be available on March 6, 2020. The album was originally scheduled to be released a week earlier, but it was postponed out of respect for rapper Bashar “Pop Smoke” Jackson, 20, who had recently been shot and killed on February 19 in the Hollywood Hills by masked gunmen.
Ignatius Jackson, often known as Icepick Jay, was honored with a name for the record. He worked as a record producer for the label that Jadakiss had initially signed in 2001, Ruff Ryders Entertainment A&R.
The entire album—including its name, cover, and music—is devoted to his former colleague, but it also bears some resemblance to Pop Smoke since it pays tribute to guys whose lives were cut short for illogical reasons.