Ranking the Best Jadakiss Albums
Between Nas cementing his name as the best rapper alive, Lauryn Hill returning to the game to remind y’all that she’s arguably the best woman to ever touch a microphone and Jadakiss single handedly mopping the floor with Dipset during the last edition Verzuz, it’s been a very, very good week for hip-hop.
Skills are back in style again. FINALLY.
But if you’re a true fan of Jason Phillips, his Verzuz dominance shouldn’t surprise you. No, he doesn’t have the mountains of platinum plaques and Grammys he deserves – nor does he have scores of classic albums that the children can yell about on Twitter all day long.
What he DOES have is a seemingly infinite array of bars, wicked punchlines and one of the most recognizable flows in hip-hop.
Everyone’s been rightfully celebrating Jadakiss this week and I’m more than happy to keep that going by revisiting and ranking all his LPs. And in this case, I’m not just focusing on his five solo studio LPs. I’m adding his collaborative album with Fabolous, his heralded mixtape run AND all four studio LPs with his brothers the LOX.
(I’m skipping the LOX mixtapes and EPs though, this list is long enough.)
These are the albums that put Dipset in ICU and make Jada’s fans scream THE CHAMP IS HERE. This is why Jadakiss is as hard as it gets.
16. Friday on Elm Street (2017)
Soul In Stereo rating: 3 stars out of 5
Edd said: Well, this turned out to be quite the disappointment. You’d think teaming two top-tier mixtape spitters like Jadakiss and Fabolous would produce scorching results but there’s barely a flicker on most of these tracks. Even the Freddy vs Jason concept doesn’t go as far as you’d think. I certainly wouldn’t call it a disaster but it’s just so woefully forgettable.
Forgotten favorites: “F & J Intro,” “Talk About It,” “Theme Music”
15. Consignment (2012)
Soul In Stereo rating: 3 stars out of 5
Edd said: Jada is often celebrated as a mixtape artist first and a studio artist second, so whenever he drops a tape, everyone sits up and pays attention. But here’s the problem with Consignment – the glut of radio-friendly tracks and attempts at club bangers take Kiss way out of his element, much like his lesser studio albums had done in the past. He often gets lost among the crowd of guest stars too. But when given breathing room, he dominates.
Forgotten favorites: “Nightmares and Migraines,” “Hustle Like a Muh,” “Cuz We Paid”
14. The Champ Is Here, Pt. 3 (2010)
Soul In Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Edd said: The third installment of The Champ Is Here tapes has its high points but is clearly the lesser of the trio. The bars are as solid as you’d expect, but the beat selection is surprisingly uninteresting for a Jada tape. It’s an OK listen but several steps below its predecessors.
Forgotten favorites: “Coach of the Year,” “It’s Whatever,” “Solider Survivor”
13. Filthy America … It’s Beautiful (2016)
Soul In Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Edd said: Much like Jadakiss himself, the LOX haven’t given us that 5-star classic LP that you KNOW they’re capable of. After a 15-year hiatus between studio albums, we hoped for the best with Filthy America, but it wasn’t meant to be. Longtime LOX stans will find a lot to love – Jada’s punchlines still can crack ribs, Holiday Styles is as threatening as ever, and Sheek’s frank honesty will have you nodding in agreement. But the inconsistency that often haunts their projects rears its head here yet again, dragging things down a notch.
Forgotten favorites: “Move Forward,” “The Family,” “Hard Life”
12. The Last Kiss (2009)
Soul In Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Edd said: You can pretty much copy/paste my thoughts about Consignment right here for Jada’s third solo offering. By 2009, I understand Jada’s attempt at evolution – rap was rapidly reinventing itself and legends like Eminem and Jay Z wisely began switching up their formula. That transition wasn’t as smooth for Jada, who just didn’t feel comfortable on some of the tracks here. When he stayed away from the mainstream formula, however, Al-Qaida Jada was a force to be reckoned with.
Forgotten favorites: “Letter to B.I.G.,” “What If,” “Cartel Gathering”
11. Money, Power, Respect (1998)
Soul In Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Edd said: Back in 1998, the LOX were just behind Wu-Tang Clan and Outkast on my personal list of favorite rap collectives, so I was ecstatic to finally hear my boys’ full length debut. Sigh, then came Puff and those shiny suits. Listen, Money, Power, Respect is nowhere near the abomination it’s been labeled in recent years – the title track alone is the group’s calling card and the solo offerings here are very, very good. Unfortunately though, this album often felt like Jada, Ghost and Sheek in Mase cosplay, with Puffy trying to shove his pop-friendly playbook down their throats. It’s a jarring styles clash but there are more than a few keepers to be found.
Forgotten favorites: “All for the Love,” “Everybody Wanna Rat,” “So Right”
10. I Love You (A Dedication to my Fans) (2011)
Soul In Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Edd said: Jada often uses his multitude of mixtapes to tide fans over between album releases and this effort is one of his most underrated. I’ve complained a lot on this list about Jada’s struggles to balance mainstream cuts with harder-edged hits but he pulls it off very well here. In fact, this tape’s biggest misstep is that it’s almost too short and filled with reused tracks. With a little more depth, this would be even higher on the list.
Forgotten favorites: “Gone Too Long,” “Hold You Down,” “Toast to That”
9. Living Off Xperience (2020)
Soul In Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Edd said: Boy the LOX stans came for my throat after my review of the group’s most recent album last year. I mean, I’m a LOX fan too, but that means nothing when you’re yelling death threats at strangers. I’m in agreement that Living Off Xperience is one of the best albums the collective have put together to date, featuring a renewed energy and focus that was missing from previous projects. Still – and I know y’all are tired of hearing this – it’s the inconsistencies and radio-friendly efforts that keep this one from reaching its full potential. It’s still well worth checking out.
Forgotten favorites: “Think of the LOX,” “Bout S***,” “Loyalty & Love”
8. Top 5 Dead or Alive (2015)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: Reviews were mixed on Jada’s long-delayed 2015 album, mainly because a title like Top 5 Dead or Alive absolutely demands classic material. Jada didn’t give us a classic (and we’re still waiting for that one…) but don’t overlook what he did drop — intricate wordplay and solid concepts delivered with that classic rasp. Opinions still vary on this one but many of its top tracks never left my rotation.
Forgotten favorites: “Jason,” “Synergy,” “Rain”
7. Ignatius (2020)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: This probably isn’t the Jada album you were expecting. Ignatius is dedicated to Ruff Ryders Entertainment A&R and record producer Ignatius “Icepick Jay” Jackson, who died in 2017. To that end, Ignatius is a passion project that features the themes that expound on Kiss and Icepick Jay’s friendship. The street talk and gunplay take a back seat to upbeat production, family ties and reflection, and that’s a good thing. Those strong themes and honest reflection give Ignatius the depth that some of Jada’s more beloved releases lack. But don’t worry, Jada definitely makes his presence known from time to time, with the raspy threats that made his name so renowned. Ignatius is all about growth and, hey, maturity looks pretty good on Kiss.
Forgotten favorites: “Me,” “Huntin Season,” “Kisses to the Sky”
6. Kiss My A**: The Champ Is Here, Pt. 2 (2009)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: The follow up to the original Champ Is Here mixtape doesn’t have quite the punch as its predecessor but it’s absolutely potent in its own right. It’s a little tough to rank because the best tracks were cherry picked for The Last Kiss LP, but judging this as a package on its own gives you the best of both worlds – equal parts Mixtape Jada and top-tier Album Jada.
Forgotten favorites: “Child Abuse,” “The People,” “We Run This”
5. We Are the Streets (2000)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: Hands down, We Are the Streets is the best LOX album to date, and it’s pretty easy to see why. After Puffy’s shiny suits proved to be an ill fit, the trio teamed with the Ruff Ryders and they were MUCH more comfortable in the land of bandanas and motorcycles. True to its name, this album was as street as it gets – gritty, hard hitting production from Swizz Beatz, DJ Premier and PK (yeah, yeah the Timbaland song was an outlier), collabos from Eve and Drag-On that fit their sound and an overall cohesiveness that they’ve lacked previously (and honestly, since, too). We Are the Streets was a bit overlooked during DMX and Eve’s chart-topping heyday, but it’s easily one of the best releases of Ruff Ryder’s historic run.
Forgotten favorites: “F*** You,” “Can I Live,” “Recognize”
4. #T5DOA: Freestyle Edition (2015)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: Now THIS is the Jadakiss we want to hear! #T5DOA is everything you’d want from a Kiss mixtape – bars and bars and bars over classic street anthems. Jada flips signature tracks from Nas, Jay, ODB, Raekwon and more, delivering his own spin yet upholding the legacy of the source material. It’s not perfect – some of Jada’s original songs are a mixed bag and let’s not EVER speak of the “Hotline Bling Remix” but there’s more than enough here to cover those gaps.
Forgotten favorites: “Two Curse Words,” “Y’all Haters,” “Where I’m From”
3. Kiss of Death (2004)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: Although they both had their detractors at the time, I quite enjoyed both Jadakiss’ debut and sophomore albums, with both being quite unique yet relatively equal in quality. Kiss of Death breaks the Jada Mainstream Curse by featuring radio-friendly cuts that didn’t betray his sound while likewise loading up on plenty of quality tracks for the streets, especially on the second half of the album. True, the Kanye and Neptunes tracks don’t work as well as you’d expect but overall Kiss of Death is a high mark in Jada’s catalog.
Forgotten favorites: “Still Feel Me,” “By Your Side,” “Air it Out”
2. Kiss Tha Game Goodbye (2001)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: You know, I think this album is often unfairly criticized for what it ISN’T instead of what it IS. Let me explain – by 2001, Jadakiss was recognized as one of the top lyricists in rap, bar none. So when word of his long-awaited solo album began to trickle out, we all expected a five-star classic. That … didn’t happen. But by NO MEANS does that mean Kiss Tha Game Goodbye was bad – quite the opposite in fact. An all-star list of producers and guest stars contribute to Jada’s most complete LP to date, with its main sin being that it’s just too long and in dire need of a trim. It wasn’t the classic we all expected, but it’s still a very satisfying listen that holds up quite well today. It’s not a bad tradeoff.
Forgotten favorites: “Kiss is Spittin,” “None of Y’all Better,” “Show Discipline”
1. The Champ is Here (2004)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: The Champ is Here mixtape always felt like a make-good with Jada’s core fanbase, that group I mentioned earlier who vocally expressed their disappointment in Kiss’ solo projects. This was where he shut down all doubters. A mix of freestyle cuts, random tracks from outside projects and his best work from his own LPs, The Champ is Here is essentially Jadakiss’ Greatest Hits, oozing with the confidence and wordplay that made the Raspy One one of hip-hop’s premier MCs. It’s the quintessential Kiss project to date.
Forgotten favorites: “Games People Play,” “The Champ is Here,” “40 Bars of Terror”
What’s your favorite Jadakiss album and LOX project? Let us know in the comments below.
Nas dropped a really good album, but he’s not the best in the game right now, Skyzoo drops better albums than KD2 every damn year. Y’all were generous on a lot of those Jada ratings.
The Champ Is Here my favourite album,he is so great collaborating with his voice, lyrics and song.