In a genre where albums frequently miss their street date,
Jadakiss'
The Last Kiss is an especially late hip-hop release, having been pushed back, retitled, and retooled numerous times. With prime street cuts given away to comps, mixtapes, and soundtracks in the five years since
Kiss of Death was released, the numbers that remain are slick and polished, although kickoff "Pain & Torture" breaks the mold. Elsewhere, he sings "If you're real and you know it/Clap your hands" over a
Swizz Beats production on "Who's Real," and
Mary J. Blige offers standard support on the following "Grind Hard." "What If" uses the same structure as
Kiss of Death's
Nas collaboration "Why," and although "Letter to B.I.G." already appeared on the
Notorious soundtrack, it is one of the more interesting cuts on
The Last Kiss. ~ David Jeffries