"Why?" is a

protest song A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre. Among social mov ...

by American rapper

Jadakiss Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as a member of the rap trio The Lox, managed by Ruff Ryders and signed with B ...

, and the second single released from his second solo album '' Kiss of Death''. It was produced by

Havoc High Altitude Venus Operational Concept (HAVOC) is a set of crewed NASA mission concepts to the planet Venus. All human portions of the missions would be conducted from lighter-than-air craft or from orbit. Background Venus is a planet with a r ...

. It was a crossover hit in several countries. The song ranked #64 in

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...

's Top 100 Rap Songs. The remix produced by Elite with a new chorus was later released featuring Anthony Hamilton,

Styles P David R. Styles (born November 28, 1974), better known by his stage name Styles P (also known mononymously as Styles), is an American rapper, best known as a member of hip hop group the Lox, alongside childhood friends Sheek Louch and Jadakiss ...

, Common and

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

. Although not a remix nor a sequel, Jadakiss released the song "What If" that almost follows the same concept as "Why". All of the verses start with the latter title. It included Nas (who - as mentioned above - was featured in the remix of "Why").

Controversy

Jadakiss attracted some controversy and condemnation from the

political commentator A pundit is a person who offers mass media opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport). Origins The term originates from the Sanskrit term ('' '' ), meaning "knowledg ...

Bill O'Reilly, who labeled him a "smear merchant" because of the lyrics in the song, which state Jadakiss' belief that the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

were an inside job, or that then-

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

caused or allowed the attacks: "Bush" is censored in clean versions of the song. The music video shows a man holding up a picket sign reading "BUCK FUSH" - a

spoonerism A spoonerism is an occurrence in speech in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched (see metathesis) between two words in a phrase. These are named after the Oxford don and ordained minister William Archibald Spooner, w ...

of "FUCK BUSH". O'Reilly took the position that President Bush should be allowed to sue Jadakiss for slander. The track was eventually banned on some radio stations or played with the lyrics in question censored."Rapper Jadakiss, In New Song Lyric, Suggests Bush Complicity In 9/11 Attacks"
''Counterbias''"Why"
''Abstract Dynamics''
''USA Today''
''Fox News''

Music Video

In the

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

, Jadakiss raps while appearing as a gangsta, a

news anchor A news presenter – also known as a newsreader, newscaster (short for "news broadcaster"), anchorman or anchorwoman, news anchor or simply an anchor – is a person who presents news during a news program on TV, radio or the Internet. ...

, and a homeless man, and also acting out some of the lyrics. In the third verse, Jada appears wearing a white t-shirt with the word 'why' on it, leading a protest. Several people also wear the same shirt. Anthony Hamilton also appears, first singing the chorus separately, then as part of the march at the end. In the crowd, a man is shown holding up the picket sign reading "BUCK FUSH."

Track listing

#"Why" (album version) #"Why" Remix feat. Kool Savas #"Kiss of Death" (main version) #"The Champ Is Here" (explicit version) #"Why" (video)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

{{Jadakiss 2004 singles Anthony Hamilton (musician) songs Jadakiss songs Music videos directed by Sanaa Hamri Song recordings produced by Havoc (musician) Songs written by Havoc (musician) Songs written by Jadakiss Ruff Ryders Entertainment singles 2004 songs Political rap songs Songs written by Anthony Hamilton (musician) Music controversies