Jadakiss Single-Handedly Destroyed Dipset on ‘Verzuz’

August 4, 2021
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Music – 24 mins ago


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Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Dimas Sanfiorenzo is the Managing Editor for Okayplayer. He specializes…

Jadakiss Lox yellow backdrop VerzuzJadakiss Lox yellow backdrop Verzuz

Photo Credit: Johnny Nunez/WireImage

The Lox came saw and conquered. Led by Jadakiss, the legendary group delivered one of the most dominate Verzuz performances ever.

Was that the best Verzuz ever?

On Tuesday, August 3rd, two of New York City’s most legendary rap groups, The Lox and Dipset battled it out at Madison Square Garden (well, really the Hulu Theater, which normally holds about 5,000 people.) Coming into the battle, the match-up was seen as competitive — with both The Lox — consisting of Jadakiss, Styles P, and Sheek Louch — and Dipset (Cam’ron, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, and Freekey Zekey) having a healthy collection of commercial hits, underground classics, and freestyles in their arsenal.   

But this battle was not competitive. This was a domination. 

The Lox, led by Jadakiss’ swagger, energy, and showmanship, ran through Dipset, a group that was too cool. disjointed, and rattled. The Yonkers group completely strong-arming the Harlem crew — taking the audience away from them in the process. 

It was probably the most one-sided Verzuz since Jadakiss ran through Fabolous last year.

In the lead up to the Verzuz, the two camps were going back and forth. For weeks, Styles P and Jim Jones were trading lighthearted jabs on social media. (It should be noted that the two crews are going on tour together so this was never going to be a truly tense situation.)

The night of the event, iconic boxing announcer Michael Buffer did the introductions. The Lox were the first to hit the stage. They came out talking tough, taunting Dipset before they even hit the stage. When the Diplomats finally swaggered their way out, the Lox started by performing We Are the Streets’ opening track “Fuck You.” (The Lox performed the entire song, letting fans know what time it is.)

Dipset tried to retaliate with their classic Diplomatic Immunity cut “I’m Ready” but the performance was poor. Cam’ron wasn’t engaged and the crew were rapping over their vocal tracks — something the Lox picked up on and started taunting the Harlem crew about. Things got crazy when Jadakiss started performing his “Who Shot Ya” freestyle from 2010.

Cam’ron responded with a melody featuring “Get ‘Em Girls” and “Live My Life (Leave Me Alone).” But the tide already turned. Things were not going well for Dipset, And here’s the thing, the Lox were right. Dipset performing over their vocals was a distraction.

At one point, after Juelz taunted the Lox for not having “girl songs,” the Lox rang off a number of commercial songs for the ladies, including “Ryde or Die, Bitch” Mariah Carey’s “Honey” (Bad Boy Remix, and Jennifer Lopez’s “Jenny From the Block.” “At one point Jadakiss yelled, “We got Grammys, nigga! These niggas don’t know what Grammys look like. They know what grams look like.”

By the end of the show, the route was clear. And the Lox were performing melodies of their songs, with Dipset returning one at a time. (The Lox performed nearly 40 songs, with Dipset doing 28.) The final moment of defeat came when Cam’ron tried to cap the show off with a freestyle but kept on stumbling his words. And a sprinkle of boos came out from the crowd. 

The social media response was fierce. Let’s start with the love. Jadakiss, one of the most gifted MCs of the last 30 years — who doesn’t have the classic albums some of his contemporaries have — got his flowers. ‘Kiss put up a dominant, Michael Jordan-like performance. And he seemed to relish in playing this wrestler figure. After his performance, he recreated Kobe Bryant’s iconic championship photo.  

 

Now the hate. There was plenty of jokes sent to Dipset’s way. The group was just bad and never really in-sync. 

To his credit, Cam took the whole night and the jokes that came with it on the chin.

Watch the entire Verzuz below.

 

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