Jadakiss' Sophomore Effort: 'Reasonable Doubt II – The Prequel'

In the summer of 2004, one question lingered in hip-hop circles. After the massive commercial and critical success of his debut album 'The Kiss-Off' (also known as 'Kiss Me a-Kain't'), would Jadakais follow-up live up to expectations?

The answer came on June 22nd when Def Jam Records released 'Reasonable Doubt II – The Prequel' under the moniker Jadakiss. This sophomore offering was highly anticipated, especially given his breakout performance as part of the legendary group Styles P and DMX's Ruff Ryders.

However, in an unexpected twist, instead of releasing a full-length album bearing that title, fans were treated to 'Kiss Me When I Wake Up In The Morning', which ultimately became known simply as Kiss Of Death.

This sophomore LP was indeed long-awaited; after all, it had been four years since the release of his debut project 'The Real Deal'. During this hiatus, Jadakais career seemed on hold.

However, in 2004, Jada made good on both his own promise and Eminem's endorsement by releasing 'Kiss Of Death', which piqued the public interest once again. The album featured guest appearances from some of hip-hop's biggest names at that time including Nas, S-Downs (Styles P), Eve, Jadakis longtime protege J-Hova (Jay-Z) among others.

Although reviews were mixed upon its release due to what many critics saw as a lackluster production effort compared to his debut material; 'Kiss Of Death' still managed to peak at number 4 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart.

Furthermore, singles such as 'One More' featuring Nas did fairly well reaching No.30 on Mainstream Top40 thus indicating that Jadakais star power hadn't waned completely since his days with The LOX.

In conclusion while 'Kiss Of Death' may not have been the commercial juggernaut many had hoped for it still holds a special place within hip-hop history as evidence of an artist refusing to give up on their vision despite adversity.

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