The LOX talks impact of their VERZUZ battle, Busta Rhymes, and more.
Ever since their incredible VERZUZ battle against Dipset, The LOX’s sales and influence boosted significantly and they reflect on the whole thing in a new interview with GQ. “A lot of people say we’re getting our flowers now, and it’s a beautiful thing to be recognized,” says Jadakiss. “I’m just thankful to be healthy and still active, at this caliber, at this point in our careers.” Not only did Jadakiss took part in VERZUZ with his fellow LOX partners, but he also did a solo battle against Fabolous last year. Kiss also made a guest appearance on the recent showdown between Ja Rule and Fat Joe at Madison Square Garden.
Jadakiss’ name has to be in the running for the distinction of having the most Verzuz appearances. He not only competed against Fabolous for his own Verzuz, but he also appeared with his LOX colleagues when they took on Dipset, and he shocked fans when he helped finish off Fat Joe and Ja Rule’s appearance on the popular series. However, when addressing what some have dubbed the most famous Verzuz, The LOX as a unit continues to be a heated topic of discussion.
The trio of Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, and Styles P are getting huge praise from the older generation as well the new age of hip hop and fans. “It’s been a blur, but I don’t think I took it like everybody else did. We always work around the clock, but I definitely didn’t expect the Verzuz to have the magnitude it’s had; I can’t front. I did think people would enjoy the show, but I didn’t think it would be that impactful to them. But that’s hip-hop: it’s the fast life,” says Jada on the impact of VERZUZ.
“The influx of young fans is the best part of it all—and not even just fans of ours, but people who actually want to start learning their lyrics and getting real shows together. Little dudes coming up like, “Yo, I want to make sure my shit is tight.” So seeing that shift has been way more impactful than how wild the month has been for us, personally,” says Styles P.
They were also asked about what it takes to become a good performer, to which they had some high praise for the likes of Busta Rhymes, who they called the best hip-hop performer. “Let us say this before we continue: Busta Rhymes is hip-hop’s best performer. Hands down, him and Spliff Star,” Styles P continues. “So being on tour with Busta, Diddy, and God bless our brother DMX—just being around people who love their craft. If you bust your ass in that studio and people love what you do, then you can’t wait to get in front of that crowd and do it. It’s the exchange of energy.”
Jadakiss also recalled how they end up recording for Kanye West’s latest album DONDA. “Justin LaBoy hit my son up that same night. I thought my son was trippin’, just getting extra DMs like all of us were immediately afterwards,” he said. “But the next day, people from Ye’s camp called us and asked if we could come to Atlanta—like, right now—to get on Donda. We were like, “Yeah, if you send a jet today, we’ll come.” He sent it later that night, we went straight to the Falcons arena, they played us a few songs, set us up in some side room which he turned into a makeshift studio, and we knocked it out. Then we went to the hotel, showered, ate breakfast, relaxed a little, went back to the arena, watched the show, then went home.”
Check out their full interview here on GQ.
[VIA]
