Jadakiss Last Kiss CD

On his third official studio LP (and first for Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam), Jadakiss branches out from the traditional East Coast boom-bap he's been known for since putting it down with the Lox. With contributions from a lengthy list of guest artists and producers, THE LAST KISS sees Jada flirting with Dirty South crunk, ATL trap rap, and synthesizer-driven radio-friendly hip-hop. On the lyrical side, the D-Block representative remains as combative as ever, spitting aggressive one-liners and clever boast-fueled rhymes. From the outset, Jada proclaims that he's come to bring listeners "slick talk, pain, and torture." The Yonkers lyricist lays down a list of head-scratching hypotheticals alongside Nas on the impressive "What If" and composes a heartfelt message to his deceased friend on "Letter to B.I.G." The eclectic production comes courtesy of Swizz Beatz, Ne-Yo, the Neptunes, Mr. Porter, Eric Hudson, Buckwild, and Sean C & LV, among others.

In a genre where albums frequently miss their street date, Jadakiss' The Last Kiss is an especially late hip-hop release, having been pushed back, retitled, and retooled numerous times. This problematic arrival shows too in the final product, but the problem may not be the much maligned rapper's ability or inspiration but the constant mishandling of his material. So many prime street cuts have been given away to comps, mixtapes, and soundtracks in the five years since Kiss of Death was released that only the slick, polished numbers remain, save the misleading kickoff "Pain & Torture." Two tracks later he's singing the silly "If you're real and you know it/Clap your hands" over an unsurprising Swizz Beats production, but it's "Grind Hard" that really disappoints, with the Mary J. Blige support coming off as standard. That's a first, but "What If" isn't a first at all, using the exact same structure as Kiss of Death's Nas collaboration "Why." One of the more interesting cuts, the heartfelt "Letter to B.I.G.," already appeared on the Notorious soundtrack, and the album's title is nonsense, as Jada had already declared his intention to keep going. Despite what the haters say, this is another missed opportunity for Jadakiss, a man whose best work never lands on the high-profile releases. [The Last Kiss was also made available in a clean version with all explicit material removed.] ~ David Jeffries

In a genre where albums frequently miss their street date, Jadakiss' The Last Kiss is an especially late hip-hop release, having been pushed back, retitled, and retooled numerous times. With prime street cuts given away to comps, mixtapes, and soundtracks in the five years since Kiss of Death was released, the numbers that remain are slick and polished, although kickoff "Pain & Torture" breaks the mold. Elsewhere, he sings "If you're real and you know it/Clap your hands" over a Swizz Beats production on "Who's Real," and Mary J. Blige offers standard support on the following "Grind Hard." "What If" uses the same structure as Kiss of Death's Nas collaboration "Why," and although "Letter to B.I.G." already appeared on the Notorious soundtrack, it is one of the more interesting cuts on The Last Kiss. [The Last Kiss was also made available in a clean version with all explicit material removed.] ~ David Jeffries

Amp - Amended Produc

Recording information: Allure Sound Studios, Oak Park, MI; D-BLOCK Studios, Yonkers, NY; Dirty South Studios, Atlanta, GA; Hot Beats Studios, Atlanta, GA; Integrated Studios, New York, NY; Legacy Studios, New York, NY; Lucid Appeal, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; South Beach Studios, Miami, FL; the Record Plant, Hollywood, CA; The Superfrank Compound, NY.

Photographer: Christian Lantry.

Personnel: Tony Aliperti (guitar); Michael Leonhart (trumpet); Vanor Yard (piano); Nick Movshon (drums); Toshi Takemasa (percussion).

Audio Mixer: Dragan "Chach" Cacinovic.

XXL (Magazine) (p.107) - "The self-explanatory Faith Evans duet 'Letter to B.I.G.,' paints a poignant portrait of the current state of hip-hop....The album's true gem, though, is the Jazmine Sullivan-guested 'Smoking Gun'..."