Jadakiss Urges Rappers to Avoid Copying the Kendrick Lamar Formula: “We Don’t Need to Hear 53 More ‘Not Like Us’es” [Video]

Hip-hop legend Jadakiss is encouraging rappers to be original in their rhymes and warns against trying to redo what Kendrick Lamar accomplished with “Not Like Us.”

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On a recent episode of Carmelo Anthony’s “7PM in Brooklyn” show, Kiss stressed the importance of maintaining authenticity in a music industry he feels has become diluted. Using Lamar’s success as an example, Jadakiss explained that while balance is key, it’s crucial not to lose sight of the core elements of hip-hop.

“It’s all about balance. Some dudes can rap and sing. Some dudes should just rap,” he said. “Some dudes should do some other shit. But rap is for rapping. Start doing a bunch of everything else, it’s getting away from the elements and it’s diminishing the culture.”

He also noted that the desire to duplicate successful formulas doesn’t serve the genre.

“We don’t need to hear 53 more ‘Not Like Us’es,” he stated, highlighting the problem of imitating popular tracks.

Jadakiss also warned against following the trend of copying hits for guaranteed success, explaining, “Just because that got him five Grammys and Super Bowl, this and that – when you go to create, don’t try to make that. We do have a lot of people that once one thing hits, everybody’s calling the producer [to get a similar beat]. And [it] never works.”