Jadakiss has put out tons of notable songs during his career, but he passed up a chance to add one of JAY-Z’s hits to the list.
In a recent appearance on the Clube 520 podcast, the LOX rhymer answered a question about whether there was “one beat that you passed on that turned into a hit” that he still had regrets over.
“One of the Hov joints,” he answered before quoting lyrics from the Just Blaze-produced 2001 track “U Don’t Know.” “[Just] Blaze sent that.”
When asked what was wrong with the beat, Jada answered simply: “Too much going on sometimes.”
You can see the exchange below, beginning at the 19:03 mark.
Jadakiss and JAY-Z actually have a rather extensive history of swapping tracks.
In 2017, Swizz Beatz shared during a Drink Champs sit-down that Jada originally had the beat that became Hov’s “Jigga My N-gga.”
Two years prior, The Alchemist revealed that JAY had first crack at “We Gonna Make It,” along with Nas.
“I laid that beat for Nas,” Alchemist recalled during an appearance on ItsTheReal’s A Waste of Time podcast. “I had the beat, I knew it was dope. I played it for Nas… He and Horse said it’s gonna be a solo song.”
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Two weeks later, Alchemist returned to find out the track had been given to another artist. He declined that collaboration and was introduced to Jadakiss by a friend.
The producer played several tracks for Jada in the studio and the LOX rapper ended up turning his favorite beat into “We Gonna Make It,” which ultimately appeared on his debut solo album Kiss Tha Game Goodbye.
Jada, along with his LOX groupmates Styles P and Sheek Louch, will be looking back at the early days of his career next month, when they will be special guests at the 25th anniversary concert for Beanie Sigel’s The Truth LP.
The show is set for March 8 at The Met in Philadelphia and will also feature a performance from the rest of Beanie’s State Property crew. Tickets can be purchased here.
