The Immersion: My First CD, Jadakiss’ “The Last Kiss” Posted by Dharmic X on 01/31/13 | Filed under Opinion, The Immersion, Jadakiss

Despite being a product of hip-hop’s digital age, my formative musical experiences came via cassette players. Our family amassed an exhaustive collection of 80s and 90s Bollywood cassettes, with soundtracks from movies like "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" and "Hum Aapke Hain Kaun". Unlike many families in America, our run with cassettes lasted well into the twenty-first century; we finally got rid of our Subaru Forester, and the cassette player that accompanied it, less than two years ago.

As a result of my personal obsession for hip-hop and the family’s long-time use of cassettes, my usage of the CD format was short changed significantly. The family’s first CD player, also a vehicle, came when I was nine years old. Not to say that we didn’t use it (and we still use CDs for car trips), but within five years, I was deep into hip-hop music, chasing after brand-new mp3 files to play on my computer, PSP, or iPod.

Besides, as I came to learn within a couple of years, there is a different mentality in buying Bollywood music soundtracks and buying a rap music CD. The former is a composition of singers and musicians put together by a big film company with lots of money. The latter is a statement; a physical endorsement of the emcee and his brand, an opportunity to support the artist in a declining music industry. The stakes were much higher.

By the time I understood the value of supporting artists, I was already sixteen. And it wasn’t like I had a lot of money to be spending on the plethora of music I was consuming daily.

Therefore, the first CD I ever purchased was "The Last Kiss" by Jadakiss, in April of 2009. Prior to the release, I was more than aware of the Yonkers native’s legacy both as a solo emcee and as a member of the LOX. The lead single, “By My Side” was definitely a smooth cut, albeit a little on the pop side. Even before that, Kiss had caught my attention with the Alchemist produced “From Now Til Then”, where his gravel tone pounded home punchlines with the utmost comfort. Finally, after several delays, the stage was set for the release of his third solo LP and first through Def Jam Records after signing in 2007.



By the end of 2008, what would eventually be known as the third single and the last song of the album, “Death Wish” leaked online. This song, featuring Lil Wayne, was another Alchemist banger, albeit significantly grimier and more ominous than “From Now Til Then.” It opens up with the hushed chanting of “death wish,” leading to Jada’s verse. The verse is dense with description, the Yonkers repper at his masterful best in painting a picture of the grittiness and depravity of the block. “Loyalty is thin,” he growls, “the tension is thick. Look at a broke n... face when you mention a brick.” Meanwhile, Weezy’s verse, while not his best, is significantly better than anything he’s put out in the last three years, as he races over the beat in scatterbrained fashion. Amidst the rambling comes some political commentary as well: “I’m from the Mecca of the reckless with a record-breaking death list, the reckless and neglectors think the election won’t affect us.”



2009 also saw the release of the movie Notorious, bringing back attention on the late great Notorious B.I.G. With the spotlight on Biggie, Jada used the opportunity to pen his own “Letter to B.I.G.” in song form, which included Biggie’s widow Faith Evans on the backing vocals and at the end of the song. It is an honest, open song, with Kiss talking about where he stands in the changing industry, detailing his current relationships with Diddy and Junior M.A.F.I.A and other Biggie affiliates, and even describing Biggie’s children. Not only was the song itself dope, it spawned a successive chain of “Letter” songs in the vein of 2008’s “A Millie” phenomenon.

The album itself was a solid collection of work. It surely had its pitfalls, such as “Who’s Real”, with OJ Da Juiceman (although my friends and I took much pleasure in reciting the hook around the halls of school) and “Something Else” with Young Jeezy (and later on in the album, with the rest of CTE that nobody cared about then or now). But those missteps were far overrun by the hits on this project, records such as the Wu-Block predecessor “Cartel Gathering” or the Buckwild produced “Pain and Torture”.



There were two songs off this album that stayed on repeat some time after I had purchased it. The first, “What If” was a beautiful follow-up to the now classic “Why,” with Jada pondering what would have happened if, for example, “Oprah had made them comments like Imus.” The song is closed by an incredible feature from Nas, who opens up his verse rapping, “I flow calm but don’t push, what if Saddam hung Bush? What if One Mic was called One Hook?” The second standout track was a more emotional song, “Smoking Gun”. It’s about a girl who is abused by her stepfather and outcasted by society, forced to fend for her and her child (from the stepfather) all by herself. “That’s a black girl lost for you,” Jada says, “Call me, I’ll come through and let it off for you.” The hook from Jazmine Sullivan is radiant and powerful, adding to the vibe of the song.

"The Last Kiss" will go down as yet another example of Jadakiss displaying the tremendous skills that have him considered a “top five dead or alive” lyricist in small doses, ultimately falling short of the expectations rap fans have of someone with such natural ability. For someone who is fully devoted to making hip-hop is primary occupation, it might even be considered an ominous first CD purchase. But far from a waste of money, it is a solid album that enticed me to make more purchases at Best Buy’s music section.

Meanwhile, “What If” was just one of several Nas features in 2009...

See Also:  The Immersion: Preparing to Fight The System With REKS