The fact that Jadakiss did Ignatius to honor the memory and the wishes of his friend and Ruff Ryders A&R Ignatius “Icepick Jay” Jackson (who tragically died from colon cancer in 2017), is a beautiful thing – but it doesn’t automatically mean the album is a classic. The question is who is Jadakiss trying to reach with an album like Ignatius? Who does he think his audience is? Is he trying to stumble his way into a pop hit? The thing is that Ignatius will probably not reach the audience that might like this kind of pop-rap, while at the same time it alienates the audience that knows Jadakiss’ skill as an emcee and that would lap up a hard-hitting boom-bap album from an emcee like him. Seeing as Jadakiss usually shines when he appears as a featured artist on other people’s albums or when he gets to flex his freestyle or battle skills, it’s disappointing he doesn’t seem to able to put together a top-quality project for himself.
After that, it all quickly descends into poppy genericness, with decent enough rhymes but too many weak beats, too many features, and mostly terrible sing-songy R&B choruses to dead any Hip Hop momentum the album otherwise might have had. It all starts kind of promising with the first two tracks – “Pearly Gates” is a dope album opener, and “Huntin’ Season” is the best track, with Pusha T delivering the best guest performance on the album. Ignatius is not terrible – not that bad – but it sounds at least ten years out of date, and not in a fun throwback kind of way. Maybe Ignatius is exactly what was to be expected, giving his track record. Ignatius is a disappointment – at least for those who were still hoping Jadakiss would finally prove himself able to come out with a potential classic. Is Ignatius the album that finally elevates Jadakiss to the next level?
His first two full-lengths – Kiss Tha Game Goodbye (2001) and Kiss Of Death (2004) – were merely OK, his later projects The Last Kiss (2009) and Top 5 Dead Or Alive (2015) were mid at best. colleagues Sheek Louch and especially Styles P, Jadakiss has never been able to translate his undeniable mic skills into a classic album befitting his reputation as a top-tier emcee.
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