Jadakiss revisited the aftermath of the release of his 2004 single “Why” during an recent episode of “The Adam Friedland Show” last week.
On July 12, the New York rapper was asked his opinion on former president George W. Bush, 9/11, and upsetting right-wing former Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly.
Following the song’s release, the political commentator called Jadakiss a “smear merchant” due to the song’s lyrics “Why did Bush knock down the towers?”
Friedland asked, “Did Bush knock down the towers, though?”
“I don’t know,” replied the 48-year-old, prompting Friedland to bring up O’Reilly.
“Yeah, that was success,” Jadakiss said about upsetting O’Reilly. “Coming from where I’m coming from, once I rung O’Reilly’s bell, it was like a celebration. I was a little nervous, though. I felt, I felt like people was on me, Homeland Security was, like, they was behind me.”
Jadakiss was dubbed “Al Qaeda Jada” by the right-wing media following the song’s release, and Friedman asked why he thought the media used that reference.
“Why are you called Al Qaeda Jada?” to which the artist replied, “Cause it rhymes.”
Fans reacted to “The Adam Friedland Show” interview on social media.
“They were hating on him,” wrote one.
“Wow, Jadakiss must be quite the threat for Homeland Security to be ‘on’ him,” replied another. “I guess dropping some truth bombs about Bush and 9/11 really got under their skin. Keep spitting fire, Jada!”
Jadakiss also spoke about the controversy back in 2015 during an interview with The Associated Press.
“It caught the ear of white America,” he said “It’s a good thing. No matter what you do, somebody’s not going to like it, but for the most part, most people love the song.”
Jadakiss also noted that the lyrics were a metaphor and while he doesn’t actually think Bush ordered the twin towers destroyed, he does think the former president is responsible for the attack because his administration failed to stop the terrorists.
“They didn’t follow up on a lot of things properly,” he said. “It’s the president of the United States. The buck stops with him.”
The “By Your Side” artist also noted that it was important for people to vote and said he felt it was his duty as an artist to use his platform to make a change.
“As a rapper, as an artist, we’ve got power,” he said. “If we can get people to vote from the ages 18 to 44, we can make a change.”
“Why” reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains Jadakiss’ highest-charting song. It also received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.
