Jadakiss’ new album Ignatius was slated for release today (Feb. 28). However, he has decided to push the album’s drop date to next Friday (March 6), out of respect for the late Pop Smoke.
“The New York hip hop community is mourning the untimely passing of one of our brightest young stars, and I felt it was best to pause for a moment to come together and reflect,” The Lox rapper relayed in press release. “The Ignatius album means a lot to me – it celebrates the life of my brother Icepick Jay, another one we lost too soon.”
Last week, Jada and Pusha T removed their Ignatius single “Hunting Season” from streaming services, as the hip hop community continued to mourn the tragic loss of Pop.
“It was [Icepick] Jay’s dream for me to collaborate with Pusha T on a new song. The single we’d planned to release together – ‘Hunting Season’ – is a lyrical metaphor about taking out MCs in the rap arena, and we didn’t want anyone to confuse it with anything else,” Jada continued in the release. “So, out respect for Jay’s memory, for Pop Smoke’s memory, Pusha and I agreed to put this one on hold for a minute.”
At the time, Pusha had shared his feelings toward the single on Instagram.
“‘Hunting Season’ was a request that IcePick Jay (RIP) always had and in light of his death me and Kiss made an incredible song,” he wrote. “With that being said, the whole concept of hunting season and the hypothetical ideas of ‘killing rappers’ isn’t [sitting] well with me while mourning the recent death of Popsmoke. Rest In Peace POP and condolences to his family.”
However, the single will return to streaming services on March 6, along with the rest of the album.
“You can hear it when the album drops on March 6th,” Jada concluded. “Listen as it’s intended: two MCs who love hip hop and have a lot of love and respect for the next generation coming up.”
Ignatius will serve as a follow-up to Jadakiss’ 2017 collaborated album with Fabolous Friday On Elm Street and his last solo LP, 2015’s Top 5 Dead Or Alive.
Pop Smoke was tragically shot and killed in his home on Feb. 19. His murder is currently being investigated by Los Angeles police.