Jeffrey Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper and actor signed to The Inc. and Universal Records, formerly of Def Jam Recordings. A Hollis, New York native best-known for hits such as "Put It On Me", "Between Me And You", "I'm Real" and "Wonderful", Ja Rule has released seven albums to date and sold over 20 million albums worldwide.
Music career
Atkins began his rap career in 1994 with the group Cash Money Click
. He told Curtis Waller of MTV News that his stage name "Ja Rule" came from a friend of his who addressed him by that name; other friends called him "Ja".first=Curtis
Ja Rule's sixth studio album R.U.L.E. was released in November 2004. Its lead single was "Wonderful" featuring R. Kelly and Ashanti, followed by the street anthem "New York" featuring Fat Joe and Jadakiss and the love song "Caught Up" featuring Lloyd and Ashanti. In 2005, the RIAA certified R.U.L.E. and its single "Wonderful" gold. Critical reception of this album was poor, as with Blood in My Eye.
Hiatus, departure from The Inc. (2005-2007)
On December 6, 2005, The Inc. released Exodus, a greatest hits album. "Me" was the only new song in that album. Exodus was the last album on Ja Rule's contract with Def Jam. After the release of this compilation, Ja Rule took a hiatus from recording music.
In 2005, The Inc. Records would come under investigation because of the drug trades by Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, who was associated with Irv Gotti. This would all lead to Def Jam Recordings refusing to renew The Inc.'s contract. From 2005 to 2006, Irv would search for other labels, until finally reaching a deal with Universal Records.
The Mirror (2007-present)
The first single of his eighth album The Mirror, "Uh-Ohhh!", featuring Lil Wayne, came out in August 2007. Following singles were "Body" featuring Ashley Joi and "Sunset" featuring The Game. All these singles failed in sales.first=Jason Originally, The Mirror was to be released on September 12, 2007,first=Jayson then delayed to November 13.first=Jayson That release date was delayed, and the JaRule.net website later listed a 2008 release timeframe for The Mirror.url=www.jarule.net/bio.asp
Personal life
Criminal charges
In 1999, he along with the rest of Murder Inc. were brought up on charges for assaulting 50 Cent, which led to a restraining order against them for 50. Also in 2003, he punched a man in Toronto for shouting at him in a crowd because of the 50 Cent feud. He would end up suing Ja Rule, but they 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. In July 2007, Ja Rule was arrested for gun and drug possession charges along with Lil Wayne.
Homophobia
In the September 2007 issue of Complex magazine, Ja Rule was mistakenly reported to have expressed that homosexuals are to be blamed for the problems and destruction in the United States, and was disgusted at MTV's promotion of LGBT television shows. He also spoke out about how hip hop is being blamed for more issues than homosexuality, and perpetuated the belief that gays are evil and corrupting music and television.
{{cquote|"And if it is, then we need to go step to Paramount, and fucking MGM, and all of these other motherfuckers that's making all of these movies and we need to go step to MTV and Viacom, and lets talk about all these fucking shows that they have on MTV that is promoting homosexuality, that my kids can't watch this shit," he continued. "Dating shows that's showing two guys or two girls in mid-afternoon. Let's talk about shit like that! If that's not fucking up America, I don't know what is."
It was later revealed that GLAAD had been mistaken and that he was actually mis-quoted in an interview with online MySpace interview channel The Hook Up on October 24, 2007. He went on in a January 2008 issue of XXL Magazine to state his words were taken out of context. He is quote as stating:
cquote "What I was saying in that article is everyone has that same responsibility. They're absolutely right: Rappers have a responsibility to the kids. But don't just pin it on the hip-hop. If I gotta curb my lyrics or censor what I say, no problem. But if you gonna show sexual images during the daytime for children, that should be censored as well ... And I'm not just talking about homosexuality. I'm talking about any sexuality. If it's too sexy for kids, its too sexy for kids ..."
Philanthrophy
Ja Rule founded the L.I.F.E Foundation, which opens its doors to underprivileged children through various programs such as art, music, poetry and sports.url=www.jarule.com/bio.htm
Discography
Albums
1999: Venni Vetti Vecci
2000: Rule 3:36
2001: Pain Is Love
2002: The Last Temptation
2003: Blood in My Eye
2004: R.U.L.E.
2008: The Mirror
Compilations
2000: The Murderers
2002: Irv Gotti Presents: The Inc.
2005: Exodus
Awards and nominations
Acting career
During his break from rapping, Ja Rule co-starred in the movie The Fast and the Furious with Vin Diesel. He appeared on the 2004 movie Back in The Day along with Ving Rhames and Pam Grier. He was also starred in the movie The Cookout with Queen Latifah. He is working on his bio-pic and on Saw IV.
Filmography
Copyright Citations
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