Jadakiss’ New Lifestyle: ‘Healthy is Gangsta’
Jadakiss has been known for years as a member of the New York hip-hop group The LOX, as well as for his work as a solo artist. In other words, most fans wouldn’t associate the “Why?” rapper with healthy living. But now, his health is exactly what he wants you to focus on.
Jadakiss’ music career
The LOX first burst onto the scene in the late 1990s with the co-sign of hip-hop giant Diddy. They released their platinum-selling album Money, Power, & Respect in 1998 and their sophomore album We Are the Streets two years later.
Jadakiss launched his solo career in 2001 with his debut album Kiss Tha Game Goodbye, which featured popular guests such as DMX, Eve, Snoop Dogg, Nas, and Swizz Beatz. The album sold over 200,000 copies in its first week and was soon certified gold.
The follow-up album Kiss of Death was released in 2004. Lead single “Why?” became one of the year’s biggest hits, peaking at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; it remains Jadakiss’ biggest hit to this day. “U Make Me Wanna,” a single featuring Mariah Carey, peaked at number 21.
Jadakiss released his latest album Ignatius in 2020. In 2021, he and his fellow LOX members went head to head in a Verzuz battle for the ages against fellow New York hip-hop group The LOX.
Jadakiss’ health outlook
While Jadakiss has rapped about being a gangsta and the money and power that it often entails, he admitted in 2021 episode of the Facebook Watch series The Pull Up that health is an equally important value.
“I think healthy is gangsta,” the rapper said frankly, sharing a clip of the interview on Instagram.
“Everybody wants to be tough guys and this and that, and rich,” he continued. “If you’re not healthy, you can’t be alive to spend your money. If you’re not healthy, you can’t enjoy the party, you can’t enjoy the perks of life, you won’t be here to see your kids graduate, to see ’em score they first touchdown, to see things like that. So health is more important than anything.”
The LOX’s healthy habits
Jadakiss isn’t the only member of The LOX to take health seriously. Sheek Louch and Styles P are also health-conscious people in their daily lives.
“My brothers, Styles, and Sheek… Sheek been working out forever. Styles been on us to eat right and live right. So it’s a collective lifestyle that you gotta live and there’s nothing corny about wanting to live,” he confessed.
Styles P emphasized the importance of healthy habits in a 2021 interview with Good Morning America. He spoke about his decision to open a juice store, Juices For Life, in the Bronx, and much more.
“It is important that you take care of the forgotten,” he said honestly. “Obviously, this started with us being because we’re from a Black and brown community. We’re from a poverty community, but why does that mean we don’t have to eat right?”
“It’s not about being a vegan, it’s not about being plant-based; that’s not what I’m pushing on people,” he added. “We push balance and health. It’s about the people.”
