Jadakiss is an iconic New York hip hop artist who made his name as part of hip hop group The LOX. Comprised of Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, and Styles P, The Lox had great success in the late 1990s and early noughties and went on to achieve fantastic things individually.
Jadakiss (real name Jason Phillips) began his career in Yonkers, a small suburb of New York City. This is where he met his crewmates, as they all went to the same school. Throughout the mid-’90s, the group initially performed under the name the Bomb Squad. However, after much deliberation, they decided to perform under the name the Warlox. This eventually shortened down to The LOX.
Through performing locally in Yonkers and the upper limits of New York City, such as Inwood, Edenwald and Kingsbridge, the group began to build a fan base and a fanbase beyond the Yonkers city limits. As a result, the group began to make appearances on mixtapes in the Bronx and Yonkers alongside other acts from their hometown, such as DMX and Mary J Blige.
Eventually, the trio connected with Jaz-O, the man responsible for introducing the world top Jay-Z. After her explosion onto the scene in the ’90s, Mary J Blige chose to help the group by passing the group’s demo to Bad Boy CEO Diddy.
Becoming one of the most successful hip hop groups of the noughties alongside the likes of G-Unit of the Diplomats, The Lox (especially Jadakiss) is considered one of the quintessential groups of the early noughties. In a recent interview on ESPN’s Jalen & Jacoby podcast, Jadakiss decided to unveil his Blige top five hip hop groups of all time. See the list below.
Jadakiss top five hip hop groups of all time:
5. N.W.A
California crew N.W.A. (N*ggaz Wit Attitudes) are legendary within hip hop, and the members are all, individually, considered pioneers in their own right.
Considered the first Gangsta rap crew of all time, N.W.A broke boundaries and was the stepping stone that sent artists such as Dr Dre and Ice cube flying in the 2000s. Most definitely iconic it’s no surprise they are in the rapper’s top five.
4. Wu-Tang Clan
There was no way that the Wu-Tang Clan could not appear on this list. Admired by everyone within the culture, the Wu-Tang Clan changed the game in many ways. They made it cool to be knowledgeable, they used words no one had ever heard of, they quoted legends in their music and dropped the gangster bravado for intelligence as well as craziness with people such as ODB.
Formed in New York’s isolated and desolate borough of Staten Island, the Wu-Tang Clan is now considered one of the most impactful crews of 1990s hip hop. As a nine-piece ensemble, the group were unstoppable with tracks such as ‘Protect Ya Neck’ and ‘C.R.E.A.M’
3. Run-DMC
Again, no surprise here. Run-DMC helped advance the culture of hip hop over such a short space of time they were an integral part of the commercialisation of hip hop and helped not only make it more profitable but paved the way for artists to fuse rap with other genres. They showed artists that (if you bend the rules) it is possible to enter the charts, it is possible to get a gold record and a multitude of other things.
‘Walk This Way’ was the first ever song by a hip hop act to reach the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100. Furthermore, their album Raising Hell was the first ever hip hop album to enter the top three bracket of the Billboard 200. They were the first hip hop act to be nominated for a Grammy award and so much more. most definitely, legends.
2. EPMD
An acronym for Erick and Parrish Making Dollars, this hip hop duo consisted of the legendary New York rapper Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith. Formed in the Brentwood of Long Island, New York, the crew went through various ups and downs during the 1990s.
However, Sermon is most known for his collaborations with Redman and Keith Murray as the Def Squad, with who he released an album and more. Songs such as ‘React’ and ‘I’m Hot’ are among some of his most well-known tracks, which he recorded in the early noughties devoid of Smith as part of the group Def Squad.
1. Mobb Deep
An impactful group formed in Queens, Mobb Deep, were popular in their heyday. Naming Mobb Deep as his favourite group Jadakiss paid tribute to the late Prodigy in the process, saying, “Rest in peace Prodigy man”.
Mobb Deep’s album Infamous, even influenced Pusha T of Clipse, and are responsible for some legendary East Coast hip hop tracks such as ‘Shook Ones, pt II’ and ‘Quiet Storm (Remix)’. A solid choice from Jadakiss.
