Jadakiss: Kiss Of Death

By REBECCA BARRY

Herald rating * * *

Title aside, former Lox star Jadakiss' second album isn't his dismal end; nor is it a stepping stone to the status of the album's many star guests.

But it does show he's grown in the past three years, adding social commentary to his inevitable mutterings on crime, violence and hood culture.

The hardcore rap tracks contrast with the looser, funkier escapades that show off his conversational flow. On Why? for instance he asks a series of pithy questions over sinewy, R&B beats: "Why do niggas push pounds of powder?/Why did Bush knock down the towers?"

Elsewhere he is overshadowed by his A-list mates, including Snoop Dogg on the hard-knock Shine, Kayne West on the sophisticated Gettin It In, and the funky Pharrell contribution, Hot Sauce to Go.

Condensed to the cream of these 18 tracks it could have been gold.