“That’s what I do - I sacrifice myself.You did it baby! Congratulations homie! You made history. “Somebody has to take the forefront and sacrifice,” he adds. When I made the song, I wrote it to be political, controversial, and to stir some things up. “That means it’s reaching out to everybody. “They’re censoring me all over the place, and that’s good,” he says. The type of controversy that surrounds “Why” can end up helping an artist, and Jadakiss knows it. 16 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart this week. Meanwhile, “Why?,” which features R&B singer Anthony Hamilton, continues to climb the charts. 1 on The Billboard 200 last week, selling more than 246,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. “It touches the heart and says things that a lot of people are afraid to say.”īlack isn’t the only one who thinks that. “‘Why?’ is the biggest record I’ve worked,” he says. Interscope head of rap promotions Kevin “Always Bet On” Black isn’t concerned about the controversy. No one edited ‘Get Low’ by Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz.” “Freedom of speech gives him the right to say what he does.
“I saw the video, where they edited the, but when it came to playing it on the radio, we never thought we should ,” WWPR PD Michael Saunders says. While some stations air an edited version of the song, other stations like WGCI Chicago and WWPR New York have opted not to. “Since they can hear us in D.C., and I don’t want Secret Service knocking down my door in the middle of the night,” the PD adds, “I’ll stick to the clean version.” “Actually, the uncensored version of that line is probably my favorite in the whole song,” says one PD, who asked to remain anonymous. Some programmers say they were serviced only with the version that omitted the line - in both the radio edit and the “clean” version. A lot of my people felt that he had something to do with it.” “I just felt had something to do with that,” Jadakiss says, referring to the events of Sept. “I was thinking, ‘What’s the one thing that everyone has in common? Questions.’ Everyone asks why, so I decided to write a song asking questions that everyone wants to,” he adds.Īs for the controversial line, the Yonkers, N.Y., rapper’s view is unwavering. “I wanted to make something that would touch people at home in white America. “I wanted to make a song that could appeal to a broader - and not only the hood,” he tells Billboard. According to sources at MTV, the “Why?” video was serviced to the network without the lyric.įor Jadakiss, the song is a way to reach people. 11, 2001, with the lyric “Why did Bush knock down the Towers?” The line has prompted some radio stations to edit the track. Ruff Ryders/Interscope artist Jadakiss is receiving a lot of attention for his single “Why?,” featured on his new album, “Kiss of Death.” The song questions President Bush’s involvement in the events of Sept.
Most hip-hop acts, however, have remained mum on the current political environment - until now. Musicians often voice political opinions in their songs, especially during an election year.