Jadakiss says that he was “out of my mind” during The Lox’s Verzuz match against Dipset.
The rapper reflected on the viral match of the two legendary 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 faced off against Cam’ron and the entire crew in an unforgettable Verzuz match back in 2021. What should have been a neck-and-neck battle ultimately turned into The Lox destroying Dipset in the eyes of fans.
Back in 2022, Complex spoke with Technician the DJ, who handled The Lox’s boards for the night. He explained that Jadakiss was ready to win before the group even stepped on 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 explained how winning the Verzuz impacted his career. “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.”
Ultimately, The Lox’s win came down to how the group prepared for the show. “[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.”
Shortly after the Verzuz, Fat Joe reflected on the excitement of the 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.”
