The classic Jadakiss song that earned Eminem’s respect: “He felt that line”
Jadakiss is one of the most respected MCs in the game. The Yonkers rapper built a legacy as a member of The LOX alongside Styles P and Sheek Louch in the late 1990s and early 2000s with albums like Money, Power and Respect and We Are the Streets, before having a successful solo career. In 2004, he truly earned the respect of Eminem, which was a game-changing moment for him.
Jada released his second solo album, Kiss of Death, on the Ruff Ryders label. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 246,000 copies sold – something many artists could only dream of in the current musical climate. The project featured many big-hitters, including Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Pharrell, and Mariah Carey.
The album was preceded by the lead single ‘Time’s Up’, a collaboration with Nate Dogg that serves as one of his biggest solo records. Produced by one of the most in-demand names at the time, Scott Storch, the song showcased Jadakiss’ ability to bring his prolific lyricism into the mainstream. For this, Em was impressed.
During an interview with XXL, Jada revealed that Eminem showed his admiration for the line, “Fuck riding the beat, n*gga/ I parallel park on the track.” It’s a bar that instantly sticks in your memory, and Em enjoyed it enough to personally drop him a phone call with praise. “That’s when I knew that was a good one,” he said. “He felt that line just as well as you felt it. This is when I was thinkin’ about it.”
He added, “That was a pat on the back for me. I felt good getting a call from one of my colleagues that I got a lot of respect for to feel that bar right there. That probably helped to get him on there, liking that joint. That’s how you gotta be in the rap game.”
In Jadakiss’ point of view, it was more difficult to impress people around the time ‘Time’s Up’ was released. There was a higher standard of lyrics that could only take you to the next level. “To get Big’s attention and be recognised by Hov, to Nas, to Wu, to Redman, Eminem, all of these dudes, Snoop,” he recalled. “You had to have some lyrics. You can swag your way into the winner’s circle now.”
Em had a feature and production credit on another song on Kiss of Death, joining the entire LOX crew on ‘Welcome to D-Block’. Slim Shady previously gave Jada his flowers on ‘Till I Collapse’ from The Eminem Show. In the song, he raps, “I got a list, here’s the order of my list that it’s in/ It goes: Reggie, Jay-Z, Tupac and Biggie/ André from OutKast, Jada, Kurupt, Nas, and then me.”
Speaking on his reaction when he heard the line, Jadakiss told HipHopDX, “I was somewhere in the galaxy. But you know, it’s a beautiful thing when your colleagues and dudes like Em mention you in songs, that kind of level you appreciate. That’s what you do it for.”