Jadakiss says he knew he had a great line on “Time’s Up” when he received a phone call from a fellow emcee. 

“I knew that was a great one when Em[inem] called me to talk about that line,” Jadakiss says in an interview with XXL. “That’s when I knew that was a good one. He felt that line just as well as you felt it. This is when I was thinkin’ about it. That was a pat on the back for me. I felt good getting a call from one of my colleagues that I got a lot of respect for to feel that bar right there. That probably helped to get him on there, liking that joint.” 

The line Jadakiss is referencing is: “Don’t make me put your heart in your lap / Fuck riding the beat, nigga, I parallel park on the track.”

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Jadakiss says Eminem reaching out to him about the line made him analyze the state of Rap. 

“That’s how you gotta be in the Rap game,” he says. “Back then—not to take [away] nothing that’s going on now—you had to have lyrics to even get into a certain realm. To get Big’s attention and be recognized by [Jay Z], to Nas, to Wu[-Tang Clan], to Redman, Eminem, all of these dudes. Snoop [Dogg]. You had to have some lyrics. You can swag your way into the winner’s circle now. It’s nothing wrong with that. I am glad I came into the game at the time that I came in. It made me respect it more. If you didn’t have no firepower, they wouldn’t let you in at the time when we got in the show.” 

Eminem has expressed his appreciation for Jadakiss on “‘Till I Collapse,” where Eminem names ‘Kiss among other rappers he respects in the industry, including Tupac, Jay Z, Kurupt and Nas. 

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In 2011, Jadakiss listed Eminem as one of his favorite emcees.

“Biggie, Tupac, Jay Z, Nas, Eminem, [and] Styles P,” Jada said at the time. 

RELATED: Jadakiss Lists His Top Five Emcees, Talks South Africa & His Fans