Ja Rule

Music Home >> Music Genres >> Hip Hop/Rap Music



< < < < < > > > > > More Info on Ja Rule Similar Hip Hop/Rap Music Search Artistopia

Biography

Jeffrey Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule , is an American rapper, singer, and actor from Queens, New York City .

Born in Hollis, Queens , he began his career in the group Cash Money Click and debuted in 1999 with Venni Vetti Vecci and its single " Holla Holla ". From 2000 to 2004, Ja Rule had several hits that made the top 20 of the US Billboard Hot 100| Billboard Hot 100 chart, including " Between Me and You " with Christina Milian , " I'm Real (Murder Remix) " with Jennifer Lopez , " Always on Time " with Ashanti (entertainer)|Ashanti , " Mesmerize (Ja Rule song)|Mesmerize " also with Ashanti, and " Wonderful (Ja Rule song)|Wonderful " with R. Kelly and Ashanti. During the 2000s, Ja Rule was signed to The Inc. Records , which was formerly known as Murder Inc. and was led by Irv Gotti .Ja rule has sold over 30 million records worldwide and was the fastest selling rapper in 2001. He is also known for some well-publicized feuds with other rappers (in-particular 50 Cent and Eminem )

Early life

Atkins was born in the Queens, New York|Queens borough of New York City . He was raised as a Jehovah's Witness by his mother, health care worker Debra Atkins, and grandparents. At the age of five his sister died from breathing complications, leaving him as an only child. He attended New York City Department of Education|Public School 134 in Hollis, New York|Hollis , a school he has described as having a predominantly black student body. He has said got into many fights at the school because of his small size, so his mother transferred him to Middle School 172 in Glen Oaks, New York|Glen Oaks , which he has described as a "white school".

Music career

Atkins began his rap career in 1994 with his classic hip hop group Cash Money Click. told Curtis Waller of MTV News that his stage name "Ja Rule" came from a friend who addressed him by that name; other friends called him "Ja". In 1995, he made his first appearance on Mic Geronimo's "Time to Build" which featured Jay-Z and DMX (rapper)|DMX , who were also in their early stages of their careers. In 1998, he was a featured guest on Jay-Z's hit single " Can I Get A... " along with Amil (rapper)|Amil .

Venni Vetti Vecci (1999)

His debut album Venni Vetti Vecci was released in 1999. Singles included " Holla Holla " and "It's Murda" with Jay-Z and DMX. "Holla Holla" reached #35 on the Billboard Hot 100| Billboard Hot 100 chart and #2 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. Venni Vetti Vecci was certified platinum by the RIAA on July 12, 1999.

Rule 3:36 (2000)

Ja Rule returned in 2000 with his new single " Between Me and You ", which featured Christina Milian . " Between Me and You " reached #11 on the Hot 100, and " Put It On Me " reached #8 on the Hot 100. Ja's second album, Rule 3:36 , was released on October 10, 2000. Rule 3:36 debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200| Billboard 200 chart and was certified triple platinum.

Pain Is Love (2001)

During the late summer of 2001, Ja Rule released his third studio album, Pain Is Love . " Living It Up ", featuring Case (singer)|Case , reached #11 on the Hot 100, and " Always on Time ", which featured Ashanti (singer)|Ashanti , reached #1 on the Hot 100. Like its predecessor, Pain Is Love topped the Billboard 200 and was certified triple platinum. By 2007, 3.6 million copies of Pain Is Love had been sold. Ja Rule could also be heard on Artists against AIDS Worldwide's single " What's Going On (song)|What's Going On ."

The Last Temptation (2002)

The Last Temptation (Ja Rule album)|The Last Temptation , Ja Rule's fourth album, was released on November 19, 2002. It featured the two Billboard Top 10 singles " Thug Lovin' " (#8) and " Mesmerize (Ja Rule song)|Mesmerize " (#2), another duet with Ashanti. The Last Temptation debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200. The Last Temptation was certified platinum in December 2002.

Blood in My Eye (2003)

Blood in My Eye although intended to be a mixtape, was his fifth album and the last released under the "Murder Inc." label, which renamed itself "The Inc." several days after the album release. It spawned the one and only hit "Clap Back" which reached #5 on the Top 100 and won him the Source Awards'"Fat Tape" song of the year. It peaked at #6 on the Billboard 100 and #1 on the Top R& B/Hip-Hop Albums chart selling 139,000 copies in its first week of release. It has since sold over 468,000 copies in the U.S. In October 2003, Ja Rule met with Minister Louis Farrakhan , who wanted to intervene and prevent escalating violence in the feud between Ja Rule and 50 Cent.

R.U.L.E. (2004)

Ja Rule's sixth studio album R.U.L.E. was released in November 2004 debuting at number 7 selling 166,000 copies in its first week of release. Its lead single was " Wonderful (Ja Rule song)|Wonderful " featuring R. Kelly and Ashanti (singer)|Ashanti which peaked on the Billboard Top 100 Singles at #5. The single was followed by the street anthem New York (Ja Rule song)|New York featuring Fat Joe and Jadakiss which charted at #27. The third single was the love song " Caught Up (Ja Rule song)|Caught Up " featuring Lloyd (singer)|Lloyd and Ashanti which charted at #15. The track "The Manual" was also a single in the UK where it peaked at #9. The RIAA certified R.U.L.E. Gold on January 14, 2005, and by October 2007, the album had sold 658,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan .

Hiatus, departure from Def Jam (2005–2009)

On December 6, 2005, The Inc. released Exodus (Ja Rule album)|Exodus , a greatest hits album whose only new tracks were the song "Me" and intro and outro tracks. Exodus was the last album on Ja Rule's contract with The Inc. After the release of this compilation, Ja Rule took a hiatus from recording music.

In 2005, The Inc. Records came under investigation because of drug trades by Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, who was associated with Irv Gotti. This led to Def Jam Recordings refusing to renew The Inc.'s contract. From 2005 to 2006, Gotti searched for other labels until finally reaching a deal with Universal Records (ironically part of Universal Music Group|the same company as Def Jam).

In 2009, Ja Rule recorded a new song with Brazilian singer Wanessa Camargo|Wanessa , " Fly (Wanessa Camargo song)|Fly ", sung entirely in English despite the singer's nationality. The song also received a version named "Meu Momento", also featuring Ja Rule, in which Wanessa sings in Portuguese. "Fly" was released as a single in Brazil in April. The song was ranked number #1 on Crowley/Brazil, and it was nominated in the "Hit do Ano" ("Hit Song of the Year") category at the 2009 MTV Video Music Brasil awards show, where Ja Rule and Wanessa performed together for the first time.

Ja Rule also ended his long running feud with his former Def Jam labelmate DMX at VH1's 2009 Hip Hop Honors in September. http://www.sohh.com/2009/09/ja_rule_declares_dmx_rap.html Ja Rule announced that he was no longer signed to The Inc. Records , the label he has been with since its beginnings in 1997.

Pain Is Love 2 (2011-Present)

In February 2011, It was announced that Ja Rule is working on another album called Pain Is Love 2 , naming it after the original 2001 triple platinum album ( Pain Is Love ). It will feature production from the producers on the original Pain Is Love album in order to "recreate magic". He had planned on releasing it June 7, although later decided to delay the release date in order to allow more time to perfect the "level and quality of the records" and to avoid "doing an injustice to his fans.". Getwritegossip.com (2011-02-08). Retrieved on 2011-04-25.. Hhvibe.blogspot.com (2011-02-09). Retrieved on 2011-04-25.

Pain Is Love 2 was slated for an October 11, 2011 release date but had been pushed back yet again, this time to February 28, 2012. http://www.amazon.com/Pil-2-Ja-Rule/dp/B006EMSNN4/ref=sr_1_2? s=music& ie=UTF8& qid=1326381032& sr=1-2 To make up for the delay Ja Rule released a new track called "Falling to Pieces" which was produced by 7 Aurelius . The song samples The Script 's " Breakeven (song)|Breakeven ". http://www.soulculture.co.uk/blogs/music-blog/newmusic/ja-rule-falling-2-pieces-new-music/ http://hiphopwired.com/2011/09/23/ja-rule-releases-falling-to-pieces-audio/ On October 2, 2011, another track off the EP was released called "Spun a Web" which was also produced 7 Aurelius and samples Coldplay 's " Trouble (Coldplay song)|Trouble ". The following day a teaser music video premiered on YouTube and the official music video was released on October 11. http://hiphop-n-more.com/2011/10/ja-rule-spun-a-web/

Acting career

During his break from rapping, Ja Rule had an appearance as a street racer in The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)|The Fast and the Furious . In 2004 He appeared in several movies including Back in The Day with Ving Rhames and Pam Grier and Half Past Dead as Steven Segal 's co-star. He also starred in the movie The Cookout with Queen Latifah .

Personal life

Family

In April 2001, Ja Rule married Aisha Murray ..

Legal issues

In 2003, he allegedly punched a man in Toronto, who later sued Ja Rule. The issue was settled out of court.

In 2004, police investigated whether a feud involving The Inc. led to fatal shooting outside a nightclub party hosted by Ja Rule and Leon Richardson where they thought he shot Proof (rapper)|Proof of D12 .

On July 1, 2004, Ja Rule was arrested with Don Rhys for driving with a suspended license and possessing marijuana.

In July 2007, Ja Rule was arrested for gun and drug possession charges along with Lil Wayne , and Don Rhys who served eight months in prison during 2010 for attempted possession of a weapon stemming from the arrest. New York Supreme Court judge Richard Carruthers rejected Ja Rule's argument that the gun was illegally obtained evidence. On December 13, 2010, Ja Rule received a two-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to attempted possession of a weapon after the aforementioned 2007 concert. On March 8, 2011 Ja Rule's surrender date for his two year prison sentence was set for June 8."." MSNBC . March 9, 2011. Retrieved on June 8, 2011. His publicist said that Ja Rule will turn himself into authorities. He will go to Rikers Island first, then be sent to a state facility in Upstate New York .CNN Wire Staff. "." CNN . June 8, 2011. Retrieved on June 8, 2011.

In July 2011, Ja Rule received an additional 28-month prison sentence for tax evasion, failing to pay taxes on more than $3 million in earnings between 2004–2006.

Feuds

50 Cent/G-Unit Records

Before signing with Interscope Records , 50 Cent engaged in a G-Unit-Murda Inc feud|well-publicized feud with Ja Rule and his label Murder Inc. Records . 50 Cent claimed that the feud began in 1999 after Ja Rule spotted him with a man who robbed him of his jewelry. However, Ja Rule claimed the conflict stemmed from a video shoot in Queens because 50 Cent did not like Ja Rule "getting so much love" from the neighborhood. A confrontation occurred in a New York studio where rapper Black Child , a Murder Inc. artist, stabbed 50 Cent, which resulted in him having three surgical suture|stitches . .

In his book, 50 Cent details how Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff tried to resolve the conflict between him and Ja Rule. Allegedly, McGriff asked 50 Cent to leave them alone because of the money involved. 50 Cent
insinuated the conflict had something to do with the shooting where he was ambushed and shot.

Since then, Black Child publicly insulted 50 Cent twice in, "There's a Snitch in the Club", and "You the Wanksta". In both songs, Black Child details violent actions directed toward 50 Cent The exchange of insult tracks released from both parties culminated in Ja Rule releasing Blood in My Eye , which was an album that returned additional insults to 50 Cent. Ja Rule eventually tried to squash the feud with 50 Cent by using minister Louis Farrakhan in a televised interview. However, the attempt at peace lost credibility as the interview was scheduled a day before Blood in My Eye was released. As a result, most fans, along with 50 Cent, dismissed the interview as a blatant publicity stunt. Because of the ongoing feud between the two, 50 Cent's labelmates Eminem , Dr. Dre , Obie Trice , D12 , DMX , and Busta Rhymes have also become involved and have also released tracks which insult Ja Rule.

Ja Rule later released R.U.L.E. with the successful single, "New York", featuring Jadakiss and Fat Joe in which Ja Rule took subliminal shots at 50 Cent. This single prompted 50 Cent to enter a feud with the two featured artists (see article on " Piggy Bank (song)|Piggy Bank " for details).

Although it seemed that the feud was over, Ja Rule returned with a track entitled "21 Gunz". In response, Lloyd Banks and 50 Cent released the track "Return of Ja Fool" on Lloyd Banks' mixtape Mo Money in the Bank Pt. 4, Gang Green Season Starts Now .

In an interview with MTV, Ja Rule acknowledged his defeat against 50 Cent and stated that his new album, The Mirror: Reloaded|The Mirror , will not be continuing any past feuds that he has engaged in. He said:

Eminem

The conflict started after 50 Cent signed to Shady Records and Aftermath Entertainment|Aftermath . Ja Rule stated that he had a problem with Eminem and Dr. Dre for signing someone he disliked. http://www.eminemlab.com/eminemenemies/jarule.html
On November 19, Ja Rule and Irv Gotti were special guests on Star and Bucwild's morning show on Hot 97 NYC. Irv Gotti had some legal documents stating the order of protection 50 has on him.

Ja Rule threatened that, if 50 Cent released any songs with defamatory or insulting lyrics directed at him, he would take legal action towards both of them. However, Dr. Dre was the one who produced 50 Cent's track "Back Down" in 2003 from the album '' Get Rich Or Die Tryin' '', which made derogatory comments toward Murder Inc., and Ja Rule's immediate family members. " http://hiphop.sh/minc? page=0%2C1
Busta Rhymes joined the conflict when he was featured on the track "Hail Mary 2003", with Eminem and 50 Cent . The song, a remake of Tupac Shakur 's song " Hail Mary (2Pac song)|Hail Mary ", was done partially as a response to Ja Rule's remake of another Tupac song, "Pain" (retitled "So Much Pain"). The rappers felt that Rule could never amount to Tupac, and so made the track, mocking him for trying to "imitate" the deceased rap icon. Eminem prevented Ja Rule from appearing on any of the "new" Tupac songs he produced, including those on Loyal to the Game .

The conflict escalated when Ja Rule released, "Loose Change" (actually released before "Hail Mary"), in which he insulted 50 Cent, called Eminem by the name "Feminem", falsely announced Dr. Dre as "bisexual", and claimed that Suge Knight knew of Dre "bringing transvestites home". The song also includes lyrics that insulted Eminem's mother, Debbie, his then ex-wife, Eminem#Personal life|Kim , and even referenced his then 8-year-old daughter, Hailie. "

These lyrics offended Eminem deeply, causing him to immediately get his rap group D12 involved, as well as the major part of his label, including Obie Trice , his close friend. Eminem then made the track Bully, and together, he and Trice responded with a song titled "Doe Rae Me" (aka "Hailie's Revenge"). Eminem also made a reference to Ja Rule's insult toward Hailie in " Like Toy Soldiers ", by saying:

"I need to be the leader, my crew looks for me to guide 'em, if some shit ever does pop off, I'm supposed to be beside 'em. That Ja shit I tried to squash it, it was too late to stop it. There's a certain line you just don't cross and he crossed it. I heard him say Hailie's name on a song and I just lost it."

Since then the feud has cooled down.

DMX

Ja Rule started off as friends with DMX (rapper)|DMX , as well as Jay-Z . DMX, Jay-Z and Ja Rule were part of a group at the time named The Inc. Records|Murder Inc. (The name was later used by Ja's producer Irv Gotti for his record label.) They recorded songs under the name together. DMX and Jay-Z also guest starred on Ja Rule's first album on the track "It's Murda". Eventually Ja Rule's feuds with Busta Rhymes , Dr. Dre , and Eminem went away.

The two rappers waged a war of words for years after DMX accused Ja Rule of copying his hardcore style on records. DMX admitted that he initially wanted to end with his rap rival when he was released from jail in 2005 before making peace: "Gotti came to me in jail and said I want to make peace with you and him", said DMX, "I was like, 'Alright Gotti, let's do it. But I need five minutes in a room with your man. I got to put my hands on him.'"

DMX and Ja Rule finally ended their feud at VH1's 2009 Hip Hop Honors.

Discography

;Studio albums

Venni Vetti Vecci (1999)

Rule 3:36 (2000)

Pain Is Love (2001)

The Last Temptation (Ja Rule album)|The Last Temptation (2002)

Blood in My Eye (2003)

R.U.L.E. (2004)

Pain Is Love 2 (2012)Kuperstein, Slava. (2011-03-19) . HipHop DX. Retrieved on 2011-04-25.

Renaissance Project (2012)

;Other albums

Exodus (Ja Rule album)|Exodus (2005)

The Mirror (Ja Rule album)|The Mirror (2008)

Awards and nominations

Year !! Award/ Nomination
2001
2001	MTV Video Music Awards nomination for Best Rap Video – "Put It on Me"
2002
	MTV Video Music Awards nominated for Best Hip-Hop Video – " Always on Time "
	American Music Award nominated for Favorite Rap/ Hip-Hop Artist
	Grammy Award s nominated for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group – "Put It on Me"
	Grammy Awards nominated for Best Rap Album – Pain Is Love
	Grammy Awards nominated for Best Rap/ Song Collaboration – "Livin' It Up"
	World Music Awards Won for World's Best-Selling Rap Artist
	BET Awards Won for Best Male Hip-Hop Artist Artist
	GQ Men of the Year Award Won for Musician of the Year
	Teen Choice Awards Won for Male Artist of the Year
	NAACP Image Awards Won for Best Rap/ Hip-Hop Artist
	Soul Train Music Award nomination for Best Rap/ Soul or Rap Album of the Year – Pain Is Love
2003
	American Music Award nomination for Favorite Hip-Hop/ R& B Male Artist
	Grammy Awards nomination for Best Rap/ Sung Collaboration – "Always on Time"
2004
2009

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	Turn It Up	David "Gage" Williams
2000	Backstage	Himself
2001	Crime Partners	Hitman
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	Smiley
2006	Furnace	Terrence Dufresne
2009	"Just Another Day	himself
2009	'' Don't Fade Away	Foster
2009	Kiss and Tail: The Hollywood Jumpoff	himself, IMDB.com
2010	Wrong Side of Town	Razor
2011	''I'm in Love with a Church Girl	Miles Montego	His real son plays the younger version of himself, Miles.
2012	The Cookout 2	Bling Bling	Sequel to The Cookout
2013	Goat	Willie

Copyright Citations

This article is licensed under the GNU License
Click here for original article: Ja Rule

Ja Rule Photo by: www.ticketservice.com


1. 50 Cent 2. DJ Green Lantern 3. DMX 4. Eminem 5. Fat Joe 6. Jadakiss 7. Method Man 8. Notorious B.I.G. 9. Snoop Dogg 10. G-Unit 11. Jay-Z 12. The Game 13. Young Buck 14. Kurupt 15. Fifty Cent 16. Lil Wayne 17. Paul Wall 18. Snoop Doggy Dogg

Hip Hop/Rap Music Artists

Ja Rule

Biography

Early life

Music career

Venni Vetti Vecci (1999)

Rule 3:36 (2000)

Pain Is Love (2001)

The Last Temptation (2002)

Blood in My Eye (2003)

R.U.L.E. (2004)

Hiatus, departure from Def Jam (2005–2009)

Pain Is Love 2 (2011-Present)

Acting career

Personal life

Family

Legal issues

Feuds

50 Cent/G-Unit Records

Eminem

DMX

Discography

Awards and nominations

Filmography

References

External links

Copyright Citations