Ruff Ryders Entertainment
ItÔÇÖs hard to make a great album. There are so many factors an artist has to consider when theyÔÇÖre crafting a project, particularly when theyÔÇÖre leaving the comforts of a group setting and striking out solo for the first time. Whereas that person may have previously relied on the collective to craft a song the pressure now rests solely on their shoulders. Hip-hop is filled with great artists who have worked better with teammates than they did on their own and, while some relish in the solo space, others falter in it. For JadakissÔÇÖ first solo album, Kiss tha Game Goodbye, the pressure to make a diamond ended up causing the proverbial pipe to burst.
In 2001, Jada released his first single ÔÇ£Put Your Hands Up,ÔÇØ a blistering and fever pitched song full of all the things fans have loved about him and his raspy voice. The single was decidedly street, the beat was pounding yet friendly, and Kiss was getting busier than a Waffle House waitress after the club lets out.
Everyone knew that the Yonkers MC could rap but it was the way he delivered that ÔÇ£Sam CassellÔÇØ line that made me say ÔÇ£wait, this album might be on some other sh*t.ÔÇØ The follow-up single was the Neptunes-laced ÔÇ£Knock Yourself Out,ÔÇØ which scored another winning point for JadaÔÇÖs commercial and street appeal. The song managed to play both sides in that it was friendly enough for the ladies but still grimier than a New York sewer. Once the album dropped, the hype for a potential classic was in the air but what listeners discovered is that Jadakiss was good at making songs but not at crafting albums.
The best thing to be said about Kiss tha Game Goodbye is that thereÔÇÖs some strong material on the album. ÔÇ£JadaÔÇÖs Got a GunÔÇØ was an opus on flashy gun talk over a tough-as-nails beat that sounds more fit for a horror scene than a rap album. ItÔÇÖs here that fans get the best version of him, as he rode the beat with all the skills of a veteran MC dropping so many vicious punchlines one mightÔÇÖve found themselves dizzy trying to catch them all. Other standout songs include ÔÇ£Show Discipline,ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Kiss is SpittinÔÇÖ,ÔÇØ and the club banger ÔÇ£We GonÔÇÖ Make It.ÔÇØ
Although Alchemist is still wrong for double-dipping on ÔÇ£We Gon Make ItÔÇØ — he sold the beat to Ras Kass for “Home Sweet Home” before he sold it to Jada — one canÔÇÖt be mad at what Styles and Kiss did with the song. Their patented back and forth flow was absolutely bananas and thereÔÇÖs no way someone doesnÔÇÖt get hype when Kiss starts off the track screaming ÔÇ£F*ck. The Frail. Sh*t.”
Another standout track is ÔÇ£None of YÔÇÖall Betta,ÔÇØ featuring all three members of The Lox going crazy on DJ Premier’s scratches. Kiss tha Game Goodbye really shines in spots, but therein lies the problem. It shines. In spots.
The two things going against the album are quality control and lack of cohesiveness. For one, including the skits, there are twenty-one songs on the album. No album needs twenty songs. He would’ve done well to chop that down to about thirteen, which wouldÔÇÖve increased the song-to-song quality and left a few of the lesser tracks on the cutting room floor. ÔÇ£F*ckinÔÇÖ or What,ÔÇØ while hilarious, sounds woefully out of place on this album. ÔÇ£Nasty GirlÔÇØ isnÔÇÖt TimboÔÇÖs finest work, ÔÇ£On My WayÔÇØ sounds bland as hell, and ÔÇ£CruisinÔÇÖÔÇØ was just terrible.
JadaÔÇÖs main problem is that he tried to be too many things to too many people on one album. It ends up making the project feel as if heÔÇÖs going through an identity crisis. That lack of cohesion and direction in turn, drags down the album. Ultimately, Kiss tha Game Goodbye is an LP that shows off JadaÔÇÖs best and worst aspects. Instead of being a project that would have catapulted his solo superstardom, it ended up feeling like a missed opportunity.
15 Years Later: JadakissÔÇÖ ÔÇÿKiss Tha Game GoodbyeÔÇÖ Was An Album Of Missed Potential : UPROXX
Leave a Reply