Jadakiss has revisited the uproar over his 2004 track “Why,” revealing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had him in his sights for criticizing then-president George W. Bush over the September 11 attacks.
During an interview on The Adam Friedland Show, the Yonkers rapper discussed his mindset while recording the song three years after the terrorist attacks devastated New York City and changed America forever.
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Friedland started by asking Jadakiss if George W. Bush “knocked down the towers,” in reference to his lyric: Why did Bush knock down the towers?”
After laughing at the bold question, which came out of the blue, Jada replied: “I don’t know.”
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The LOX lyricist then said that it was a symbol of “success” when conservative commentator Bill O’ Reilly — who is no stranger to clashing with rappers — got mad at him and called him a “smear merchant” over the recorrd.
“Coming from where I come from, once I rung O’Reilly’s bell, it was like a celebration,” Kiss said. “I was a little nervous, though. I felt like people was on me, Homeland Security was, like, behind me.”
He then mentioned how he was nicknamed “Al-Qaeda-Jada” during that time because the news media likened his lyrics to being terroristic in nature.
Jadakiss previously addressed the public outcry he received for his controversial bar back in 2004, telling The Associated Press: “It caught the ear of white America. It’s a good thing. No matter what you do, somebody’s not going to like it, but for the most part, most people love the song.”
He also admitted that he didn’t really believe Bush was behind the 9/11 attacks, clarifying the line was a metaphor, but believed the president did harbor some responsibility because his administration didn’t do enough to stop it.
“They didn’t follow up on a lot of things properly,” he argued. “It’s the president of the United States. The buck stops with him.”
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Featuring guest vocals from Anthony Hamilton and production from Mobb Deep’s Havoc, “Why” appeared on Jadakiss’ second solo album Kiss of Death. The controversy certainly didn’t hurt as it peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, still his highest-charting song as a lead artist.
The track later received an all-star remix featuring verses from Nas, Common and LOX groupmate Styles P, along with a reworked beat from future Dreamville producer Elite.
In more recent news, Jadakiss revealed that he still gets performance anxiety before every show, even though he’s played for millions of people for over two decades.
“I catch butterflies at every show,” he told Hot 97’s DJ Enuff in a June episode of GOAT Talk. “No matter which caliber, which city, no matter where I’m at.”
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Enuff then said that the pre-show jitters were indicative of how much he cared for his craft — an assessment to which Jadakiss agreed.
“Facts,” he said. “Every show, there’s some butterflies before you gotta go out there.”
Revisit Jadakiss’ “Why” below:
