Ja Rule
Ja Rule |
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Ja yous a window shopper... uhh!
Jeffrey Atkins (born February 29 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper from Hollis, Queens, New York City, New York. He rose to fame in the late 90s and early 2000's with a string of successful albums filled with pop songs and R&B singles bringing his album sales to 30+ million worldwide . Ja Rule is especially noted for his gruff, gravelly voice.
Career
Atkins first appeared in 1995, "Time To Build" with fellow rappers Jay Z and DMX on Mic Geronimo's debut album, "The Natural." Rule later appeared with 0-1 and Chris Black as part of Cash Money Click (not to be confused with Cash Money Records). In 1998, he was signed to Def Jam Recordings, with his first major appearance alongside Jay-Z on the song "Can I Get A...". In 1999, he released his solo debut, Venni Vetti Vecci, and had a hit single "Holla Holla". The album went on to be a platinum hit and achieved multi-platinum success worldwide.
During early 2000 Ja Rule was also Featured on Irv Gotti's successful album, "Irv Gotti Presents... The Murderers". This album featured other Murder Inc. record label artists as well as DMX, Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes. In 2000 Ja Rule released Rule 3:36, his second album. The first released single was "Between Me & You" featuring Christina Milian, which proved to be a hit and was followed by another successful single, "Put It On Me" featuring Lil' Mo & Vita. The last single, "I Cry" featured Lil Mo. The album received an unexpected level of support, and went on to become 4x platinum.
On October 2,2001, Ja Rule released his third album, Pain Is Love. The first single, "Livin' It Up" was a hit which featured guest vocals by R&B singer Case and sampled Stevie Wonder's "Do I Do". The follow up single, "Always On Time", was released in December of the same year and was yet another mega success for the rapper. The song was notable as it introduced the public to singer Ashanti, who performed on the songs chorus. The album also featured the successful remix "I'm Real" with Jennifer Lopez. Finally, the album included the song "So Much Pain", a tribute to Tupac Shakur, and went on to become 5x platinum.
His fourth studio album The Last Temptation was released on November 19,2002. Although the album was fairly successful (it was certified double platinum), it failed to carry the momentum brought by Rule's previous album. Lead singles, "Thug Lovin" (featuring Bobby Brown) and "Mesmerize" (featuring Ashanti) were successful.
During 2002 Ja Rule also featured on "Irv Gotti Presents... The Inc" and "Irv Gotti Presents the... Remixes" both albums were successful spawning such hits as "Down 4 U" and "Ain't It Funny Remix"
Blood In My Eye was Ja Rule's fifth album and is most notable for its extensive "diss" tracks aimed at rapper 50 Cent, Eminem, Dr. Dre and others. It was certified gold in the U.S., a relative disappointment compared to his previous record sales, it eventually went on to be platinum worldwide.
Ja Rule released "R.U.L.E." On November 9, 2004, and had hits with "Wonderful" (featuring R. Kelly), "New York" (featuring Fat Joe and Jadakiss), and "Caught Up" (featuring Alexi & Lloyd). The album was certified Platinum in the U.S and has gone on to sell 2.4 million copies worldwide making R.U.L.E. a successful return to the music industry after his feud with various other rap artists.
In fall 2005, Ja released his Greatest Hits album, Exodus which included three new songs. Although the album didn't garner massive sales, it was put together just so Ja could fulfill his 7 album commitment to Universal and Def Jam Records. It is rumoured though that Rule could be back at Universal under the Universal/Motown imprint of the label. Clearly they can't get enough of The Rule.
Ja recently released new tracks from his upcoming mixtape M.I.3 on his myspace page, the mixtape features contributions from other artists such as Ashanti, Lil' Wayne, Nas, Black Child, Caddillac Tah and 0-1 and brand new signees Harry O, Young Life and The Gift. He also is releasing his first single from his upcoming album "Love is Pain" titled "Get Up".
Disputes
50 Cent
The feud began when Ja Rule was at a video shoot for "Its Murder" and 50 Cent wanted to appear in the video but was turned down. On his album, Get Rich or Die Tryin, 50 Cent hurled verbal shots towards Ja Rule and many other artists affiliated with Murder Inc. Even mentioning Rule's wife and children. Towards the end of 2003, Ja Rule dropped his album Blood In My Eye, which was almost exclusively dedicated to firing back to the "disses" that he received earlier (Clap Back and The Crown became successful hits). The battle between G-Unit and Murder Inc. continued on the mixtape level till Ja Rule's release of a song named "Loose Change", that targeted 50 Cent and G-Unit, and also mentioned Eminem's daughter and claims that "Dr.Dre is a bisexual." 50 Cent and Eminem responded by releasing the remix track of 2pac's classic "Hail Mary." Ja Rule consequently released the remake of "Who Shot Ya". The feud appeared to die down until in early 2006, when Ja Rule along with other Murder Inc. artists released "diss" tracks "21 Gunz" and "So Hot". On November 8, the documentary movie Death Before Dishonor was released which was basically about snitching in the hood. In the movie, Ja made a sound appearance and commented on how 50 cent snitched over the hood. Controversially, nowadays 50 cent is losing his popularity in the hip-hop industry because he has too many enemies, whereas Ja is gradually preparing to release his album entitled Pain Is Love with various established artists featured on his tracks.
Eminem
Eminem became involved with Ja Rule for several reasons: over Rule's involvement with The Source (a popular hip-hop magazine), with Eminem's involvement with 50 Cent, and with Rule's mention of Eminem's daughter Hailie in the track "Loose Change"(On the track, Ja Rule raps "Em, you claim your mother's a crackhead, and Kim is a known slut, so what's Hailie going to be when she grows up?"). Numerous "diss" tracks were traded back and forth by both rappers such as a remix of Tupac's hit song, Hail Mary, which featured 50 Cent and Busta Rhymes.
After Benzino released 1988 rap tracks from Eminem, Ja Rule, Irv Gotti, and other Murda Inc members immediately sided with Benzino since they shared a common beef.
It does appear, however, that the feud has ended with both rappers claiming that they want no more problems. Eminem has discussed his feelings concerning the feud with his single, "Like Toy Soldiers."
The Game
The beef from Game towards Ja Rule is due to business affiliation since The Game was working for 50 Cent's G-Unit. After The Game was kicked out of G-Unit by frontman 50 Cent, The Game has recently debuted his sophmore CD entitled 'The Doctor's Advocate'. The first single "It's Okay (One Blood)" features a remix over 11 minutes long with over 20 of rap's most elite MCs. Although The Game was heavily involved with G-Unit's beef with Ja Rule, the two have since squashed their beef and Ja Rule commits 16 bars on the all-star remix. There was a poll on allhiphop, which asked who's verse was the best, Ja Rule's verse was voted the best (see [[1]]). The two mcs have also collaborated on Ja's new album on a track titled "Street Dream" which also features r&b legend and hip hop queen Mary J. Blige.
DMX
Once rhyming partners and two-thirds of Murder Inc(the group), which also included Jay-Z, the two mcs went head to head after X accused Ja of "getting rich from his style." Probably because of their similar gruff voices, but blatantly not similar style as X's was more street oriented while Ja appealed to an audience in between street and pop. DMX saw Ja Rule as nothing more than his "hype-man". However Ja looked at things differently, simply stating "I was jus' holding ma man down, what hype-man goes on to sell millions of records? F**k it! Your "hype-man" slayed you, now what?" X retaliated, bragging about how many Number 1 albums he had. After years of throwing shots at each other, the two megastars squashed their beef at the request of mutual friend and mentor to both, Irv Gotti. Although they are not the best of buddies, the two agreed to maintain a level of respect toward each other.
Discography
Albums
| Album cover | Album information |
|---|---|
Venni Vetti Vecci
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Rule 3:36
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Pain Is Love
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The Last Temptation
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Blood in My Eye
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R.U.L.E.
| |
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Exodus Greatest Hits
|
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Love is Pain |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. R&B/Hip-Hop | U.S. Rap | UK Singles Chart | Rhythmic Top 40 | Top 40 Tracks | Top 40 Mainstream | |||
| 1999 | "Holla Holla" / "It's Murda" | #35 | #11 | #2 | - | #20 | - | - | Venni Vetti Vecci |
| 1999 | "Daddy's Little Baby" (featuring Ronald Isley) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Venni Vetti Vecci |
| 2000 | "Between Me and You" (featuring Christina Milian) | #11 | #5 | #11 | #26 | #3 | #24 | - | Rule 3:36 |
| 2000 | "Put it on Me" (featuring Lil' Mo and Vita) | #8 | #2 | #11 | - | #1 | #17 | #24 | Rule 3:36 |
| 2001 | "I Cry" (featuring Lil' Mo) | #40 | #11 | #25 | - | #25 | - | - | Rule 3:36 |
| 2001 | "I'm Real (Murder Remix)" (featuring Jennifer Lopez) | #1 | #2 | - | #4 | #1 | #1 | #1 | Pain Is Love |
| 2001 | "Livin' it Up" (featuring Case) | #6 | #4 | #4 | #27 | #4 | #8 | #8 | Pain Is Love |
| 2002 | "Always on Time" (featuring Ashanti) | #1 | #1 | #4 | #6 | #1 | #4 | #5 | Pain Is Love |
| 2002 | "Down Ass Chick" (featuring Charli "Chuck B-More" Baltimore) | #21 | #8 | #5 | - | #9 | #34 | - | Pain Is Love |
| 2002 | "Thug Lovin'" (featuring Bobby Brown) | #42 | #16 | #10 | #15 | #24 | - | - | The Last Temptation |
| 2003 | "Mesmerize" (featuring Ashanti) | #2 | #5 | #2 | #12 | #2 | #2 | #3 | Last Temptation |
| 2003 | "Reign" | - | - | - | #9 | - | - | - | The Last Temptation |
| 2003 | "Clap Back" | #44 | #17 | #12 | #9 | #25 | - | - | Blood in My Eye |
| 2004 | "New York" (featuring Fat Joe and Jadakiss) | #27 | #14 | #10 | - | #17 | - | - | R.U.L.E. |
| 2004 | "Wonderful" (featuring R. Kelly and Ashanti) | #5 | #3 | #2 | #1 | #6 | #14 | #22 | R.U.L.E. |
| 2005 | "Caught Up" (featuring Lloyd) | - | #65 | - | #20 | - | - | - | R.U.L.E |
| 2006 | "Father Forgive Me" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Love is Pain |
Featured Singles
| Year | Song | U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. R&B | U.S. Rap | UK singles | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "Can I Get A..." (Jay-Z featuring Amil and Ja Rule) | 19 | - | - | 24 | Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life |
| 2000 | "How Many Wanna" | - | 72 | - | - | Light it Up Soundtrack |
| 2001 | "Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix)" (Jennifer Lopez featuring Ja Rule) | 1 | 4 | 4 | - | J to tha L-O!: The Remixes |
| 2002 | "Rainy Dayz" (Mary J. Blige featuring Ja Rule) | 12 | 8 | - | 17 | No More Drama |
| 2002 | "Down 4 U" (Irv Gotti presents The Inc. featuring Ashanti, Ja Rule, Charli Baltimore, & Vita) | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | Irv Gotti Presents: The Inc. |
Awards history
| Award | Category | Genre | Song/Album | Year | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source Hip-Hop Music Award | Single of the Year | Rap/Hip-Hop | "Put It On Me" | 2001 | Won |
| Source Award | R&B/Rap Collboration of the Year | R&B/Rap | "Thug Lovin'" | 2003 | Won |
| Source Award | Fat Tape Song of the Year | Rap/Hip-Hop | "Clap Back" | 2004 | Won |
| MTV Video Music Award | Best Rap Video | Rap | "Put It On Me" | 2001 | Nominated |
| MTV Video Music Award | Best Hip-Hop Video | Hip-Hop | "Im Real (Murder Remix)" | 2002 | Won |
| MTV Video Music Award | Best Hip-Hop Video | Hip-Hop | "Always On Time" | 2002 | Nominated |
| American Music Award | Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist | Rap/Hip-Hop | - | 2002 | Nominated |
| American Music Award | Favorite Hip-Hop/R&B Male Artist | Hip-Hop/R&B | - | 2003 | Nominated |
| Grammy Award | Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group | Rap/Hip-Hop | "Put It On Me" | 2002 | Nominated |
| Grammy Award | Best Rap Album | Rap | "Pain Is Love" | 2002 | Nominated |
| Grammy Award | Best Rap/Sung Collaboration | Rap/Sung | "Livin' It Up" | 2002 | Nominated |
| Grammy Award | Best Rap/Sung Collaboration | Rap/Sung | "Always On Time" | 2003 | Nominated |
| World Music Award | World's Best-Selling Rap Artist | Rap/Hip-Hop | - | 2002 | Won |
| BET Award | Best Male Hip-Hop Artist Artist | Hip-Hop | - | 2002 | Won |
| GQ Men of the Year Award | Musician of the Year | Rap/Hip-Hop | - | 2002 | Won |
| Teen Choice Award | Male Artist of the Year | Rap/Hip-Hop | - | 2002 | Won |
| NAACP Image Award | Best Rap/Hip-Hop Artist | Rap/Hip-Hop | - | 2002 | Won |
| Soul Train Award | Best Rap/Soul or Rap Album of the Year | Rap | "Pain Is Love" | 2002 | Nominated |
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Da Hip Hop Witch | Himself | |
| 2000 | Turn it Up | David 'Gage' Williams | |
| 2001 | Crime Partners 2000 | ||
| 2001 | The Fast and the Furious | Edwin | |
| 2002 | Half Past Dead | Nicolas 'Nick' Frazier | |
| 2003 | Scary Movie 3 | Agent Thompson | |
| 2003 | Pauly Shore Is Dead | Himself | |
| 2004 | The Cookout | Bling Bling | |
| 2004 | Shall We Dance | Hip Hop Bar Performer | |
| 2005 | Back in the Day | Reggie Cooper | |
| 2005 | Assault on Precinct 13 (2005 film) | Smiley | |
| 2006 | Kenny | TBA | post-production |
| 2006 | Furnace | TBA | post-production |
Miscellaneous
- He is a Leap Year baby.
- He married his high school sweetheart Aisha Atkins(nee Murray) and the couple have three children together, Brittany(8), Jeffrey Jnr(5) and Jordan(2).
- Not only is he a musician and an actor, but he is a mogul as well. As well as co-owning The Inc Records, he has a clothing line "ErvinGeoffrey", a film production company, a deluxe liqour company, real estate and he is the first ever rapper to own an online casino "StarsOnPoker.Com"
- Although he has several homes in L.A, Miami and New York, he and his family live in a mansion in New Jersey.
- He did a collaboration with rock band Metallica titled, "We Did It Again."
- He had a sister that died when he was five years old, due to respiratory problems.
- "Ja Rule" is an acronym for, "Jeffery Atkins Represents Unconditional Love's Existance."
- Irv Gotti and Ja Rule recently made peace with rapper The Game and Ja Rule appears on the recently released mega remix of It's Okay (One Blood).
- He is a big supporter of Tupac Shakur and his friends. He even followed in Tupac's footsteps as a social activist and went on to team up with associates of Pac's children organisation and founded L.I.F.E Foundation which opens doors to under priviledged kids. Especially those most prone to a street life of drugs and violence. The foundation has various programmes which include art, music, poetry and sport.
- He featured in the 1999 tour Hard Knock Life, featuring many other artists such as DMX, Jay Z, DJ Clue, Memphis Bleek, Redman, Method Man and many other main-stream artists.
- Ja Rule appears on the remix of The Game's hit single, "One Blood", which also features (in verse order) Jim Jones, Snoop Dogg, Nas, T.I., new Game verse, Fat Joe, Lil Wayne, N.O.R.E., Jadakiss, & Styles P., Fabolous, Juelz Santana, Rick Ross, Twista, Kurupt, Daz, WC, E-40, Bun B, Chamillionaire, Slim Thug, Young Dro, and The Clipse; Ja Rule does the final verse.
- Has started his own record label, MPire Records.