If it wasn’t already clear that Jadakiss was out for blood during last night’s Verzuz, his absolutely dominant performance of “Who Shot Ya (Freestyle)” served as an emphatic exclamation mark. Consider this. In a battle of hits, Jada dipped into the vault and drew a freestyle, performed it all without a backing track, barely missing a syllable. It was a statement, not only to his Dipset competitors — who seemingly had no idea what they were in for — but for the rap game at large.
Though many have long-respected Jada’s pen game and presence, he appeared a man possessed, seemingly hellbent on scorching his enemies in front of a lively New York audience. That’s not to take away from his group-mates Styles P and Sheek Louch, nor the Dipset squad of Cam’ron, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, and Freekey Zekey, but a narrative quickly took shape highlighting Jada as the event’s most valuable player. No easy feat, considering the combined legacies of both legendary crews.
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It’s not the first time he gained Verzuz notoriety (remember Drunk Jada?) and now, his status in Swizzy and Timbo’s cultural celebration has been cemented. And perhaps most importantly, it would appear that many have since realized just how elite Kiss truly is. There’s a reason he once likened himself to rap’s Jason Voorhees, and in his mind last night, the Dipset squad was nothing but a bunch of teenagers at a summer camp.
Naturally, Twitter found much enjoyment in Jadakiss’ unrestrained and merciless energy, firing off celebratory memes, clips, and words of appreciation. For many, the fact that he and his groupmates made a point of forsaking the backing track emblemized the art of emceeing, a culture in which The LOX has long taken pride. It’s no wonder they felt so confident going into the battle, going so far as to say that they’d make short work of any crew when it comes to lyricism and performance.
Though every emcee involved in the battle deserves a major shout-out, it cannot be denied that Jadakiss has earned some time in the spotlight. Give the man his flowers, perhaps revisit his claim of Top 5 Dead Or Alive with fresh eyes, and check out some of the most celebratory, hilarious, and downright reverent reactions below.