Doin' Lines With Jadakiss

Doin' Lines
Jadakiss fills in the blanks.
Interview: Kai Acevedo
Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Spring 2020 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.

1. I’ll kiss the game goodbye when I no longer have the passion and love for it.

2. Performing “We Gonna Make It” with Styles P never gets old.

3. My track record—the bars, the delivery, the flow and the voice—makes Jadakiss top five dead or alive.

4. Purchasing a house for my mom was my first smart investment with rap money.

5. I can always count on Swizz Beatz for good production, words of encouragement and positive energy.

6. DMX is still the big dog.

7. When The Neptunes first played me “Knock Yourself Out,” I knew it was a hit.

8. The younger generations have taught me to pay attention, stay on point, be focused and save money.

9. New York will always be the Mecca of hip-hop. It’s where it started at [and] it’s where it’s going to end.

10. I want The Lox to be most respected for loyalty and love.

11. [My record] “Checkmate” is the best diss track of all time.

12. They still feel me because I keep it real. I never changed or compromised what they like me for and I never sold out.

13. Family and good people should always be by your side.

14. Mary J. Blige is the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul because she sings the songs that touch the soul. Her voice, her range, her raw optics, her ability to do it all from ballads to hip-hop makes her the queen.

15. The top five producers that I have a creative chemistry with are Swizz Beatz, The Alchemist, Vinny Idol, Pharrell and Timbaland.

16. A healthy lifestyle is the only lifestyle.

17. I suggest trying crust-only pizza because the crust is the best part of the pizza.

18. When looking back on the lyrics, “And y’all scared I can tell/That I’ma get Bucks like Milwaukee, cause like Sam, I could sell,” I think of the good ol’ days at Ruff Ryders studio. That was the foundation and homebase for a lot of those classics.

19. After over 20 years in the game, I still love the culture and the way it’s evolving.

20. One thing they can’t ever say about me is that I never helped out the young rappers on the come up.

Check out more from XXL’s Spring 2020 issue including our Future cover story, in which he speaks on his Life Is Good album, Lil Yachty discusses his new album, Lil Boat 3, and the respect he deserves, Van Jones talks about his love for hip-hop, Show & Prove interviews with Jack Harlow, Key Glock and City Morgue, YBN Cordae in What's Happenin, Rapsody talks about getting her flowers in an exclusive interview; G Herbo speaks on building up his community like Jay-Z and Meek Mill, Royce 5'9" considers his next move with Eminem for a new Bad Meets Evil project, plus there's a brewing, new hip-hop scene in New York, a look back at Yo Gotti's music catalog, Studio Time with Rico Nasty, Guapdad 4000 in Define Me, Denzel Curry's plans after rap, Let The Beat Build with Wondagurl and more.