Jadakiss reveals he was in a completely different headspace during The Lox’s legendary Verzuz showdown against Dipset.
The rapper looked back on the viral clash between the two iconic hip-hop groups during an episode of the Joe & Jada podcast. “I was out of my mind,” explained Jadakiss. “It was a very different space that I was in that day. I’d never been that way before.”
Jadakiss, Styles P, and Sheek Louch went head-to-head with Cam’ron and his whole squad in what became an unforgettable Verzuz battle back in 2021. What should have been a close matchup ended up with The Lox absolutely demolishing Dipset according to fans.
Back in 2022, Complex chatted with Technician the DJ, who ran The Lox’s equipment that night. He shared that Jadakiss was locked in for victory before they even hit the stage.
“There was a moment where everyone was talking shit before it actually started,” recalls Technician. “Kiss was just standing there with a look on his face like, ‘I’m going to eat these guys’ food.’ Everyone was going back and forth on the mic. Kiss was just standing there like, ‘As soon as this bell ring, I’m destroying everybody.'”
Jadakiss also broke down how dominating the Verzuz changed his career trajectory. “My numbers went up for hostings and walkthroughs, for shows, and TV cameos. Just in general my numbers went up,” he said. “It also showed Def Jam that they got to do the right thing [and] restructure my contract. It really showed the world my true worth, what I can do.”
In the end, The Lox’s victory boiled down to their intense preparation for the battle. “[Our rehearsals were about] process of elimination, trying shit, preparing shit,” Kiss sid. “With me already doing Verzuz against Fab, I already had a little bit of tactics, and a little preparation. I knew you want to have more than one playlist ready.”
“We were prepared for the girl thing when [Juelz] said that,” he continued. “We had a whole segment of those lined up. The freestyles. Just how we wanted to attack. Actually, one way we did it, we played all of their hits, and tried to get the right thing to counteract. We really put it like a boxing match. They’re going to come with these missiles, so we’ve got to have missiles to launch back.”
Right after the Verzuz, Fat Joe described the electric moment when Jadakiss performed “New York.”
“I’m sitting there adjusting my mask, [and] just when I thought it couldn’t get better, Jadakiss comes on and goes, ‘Hey Harlem, I’m really outside, you know me, it’s Jada.’ Boom. Boom. Boom,” he said. “The place went nuts. I lose my mind. I’m going fucking apeshit crazy. I can’t control the passion. Now I was neutral, but when the shit come on that I’m on, I fucking lose it. I almost pulled a Lil Mama and rang up on the ring. I wanted the smoke at that point. I wanted the smoke! When they dropped the shit, half the audience looked at me.”
