The Development of Jadakiss’ Distinctive Chuckle Explained

Even those who aren’t privy to Jadakiss’ catalog can detect his iconic laugh from miles away. The LOX rapper’s signature laugh became just as part of his music as his bars. Over time, it felt as though a song from Jadakiss isn’t complete if he doesn’t drop the iconic laugh at some point. However, many have wondered how this iconic chuckle came to be. During a recent interview, Jadakiss explained that it was largely due to his engineer at the time, who insisted that he includes it in his records.

Jadakiss recently sat down with the I Am Athlete podcast where he reflected on signing with Ruff Ryders. He said that the laugh was actually a technique that he used to clear his voice before he records. Due to his gravelly tone, the laugh would often help him approach the record with a fresh set of vocal cords. “I was recording some verses and my voice is so raspy sometimes, I’m clogged up, I would do that as a tension breaker to clear my throat and my voice before I’m about to do the verse,” he said.

Jadakiss’ Engineer Convinced Him To Keep Laugh

Jadakiss said his engineer,  Dragan ‘Chach’ Cacinovic, recorded him after they met through Ruff Ryders. However, when he let out one of his raspy laughs, Chach discovered a new sound that he needed to use in his music. “[I] never intended on him keeping it. So I do it, I get out to come hear the verse and he kept it!” he continued. “I’m like, ‘What’s that?’ ‘Nah, you gotta leave that.’ I’m like, ‘Aight.’ So then I just started doing it and people started loving it!”

There’s no doubt that Jadakiss’ laugh has formed a life of its own. The rapper said that even those that you wouldn’t suspect listen to hip-hop recognize him solely off of the laugh. “Aunties coming up to me in the morning, ‘Hey, ain’t you that boy who make that sound?’” he recounted. “Then it just became my signature trademark.” Check out the full interview above and sound off with your thoughts in the comments.