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, Ja Rule has released six albums.

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Early life

Atkins was born in Queens, New York. He was raised as a Jehovah's Witness by his mother, health care worker Debra Atkins, ^[1] and grandparents. At the age of five his sister died from breathing complications, leaving him as an only child. He attended PS 132, a mixed school, but was later transferred to MS 172, another mixed school, due to daily fights in which he would be involved. ^[2]

Music career

Atkins began his rap career in 1994 with Cash Money Click. He told Curtis Waller of MTV News that his stage name "Ja Rule" came from an friend who addressed him by that name; other friends called him "Ja". ^[3] In 1995, he made his first appearance on Mic Geronimo's "Time to Build" which featured Jay-Z and DMX, who were also in their early stages of their careers.

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. The final single was "Daddy's Little Baby", a duet with Ronald Isley. Venni Vetti Vecci was certified platinum by the RIAA on July 12, 1999. According to Nielsen Soundscan, Venni Vetti Vecci has sold an estimated 2 million copies as of August 2008. ^[4]

Rule 3:36 (2000)

Ja Rule returned quickly during the summer of 2000, with his new single "Between Me and You", which featured Def Soul act Christina Milian. The single was quickly followed by Ja's second but very successful effort, Rule 3:36 , which was released on October 10, 2000. 3:36 also featured singles "Put It On Me", "I Cry" and, "Fuck You" from the Fast and the Furious Soundtrack. The album featured guest appearances from Lil Mo, Vita, Christina Milian, label mates Jayo Felony, and Black Child. Rule 3:36 debuted at #1 on the Billboard Charts and eventually went triple Platinum.

Pain Is Love (2001)

Soon after the release of Rule 3:36 , Irv Gotti signed R&B singer Ashanti to the label, which led to Lil Mo ending her collaborations with the label. During the late summer of 2001, Ja Rule released "Livin' It Up", the lead single from his third studio album, Pain Is Love , which proved to be a very successful album. The second single was the "I'm Real (remix)", and the third was "Always On Time", and the last was "Down Ass Bitch". Pain Is Love featured guest appearances from Case, The Murder Inc. Family, Missy Elliott, Jodie Mack, Tweet, Jennifer Lopez and a recording from the late Tupac Shakur. Along with its critical success it was also a commercial success, reaching #1 on the Billboard 200. It has reached 6x Platinum certification in the U.S.

The Last Temptation (2002)

The Last Temptation . His fourth album was released on November 19, 2002. It featured the singles "Thug Lovin'" and "Mesmerize." 341,000 copies were sold in the first week of release. Although it did not sell as well as his previous album, The Last Temptation was certified 2x Platinum by December 25, 2002. It was after this album that the '50 Cent & G Unit' era began, which would negatively affect Ja's future projects and career in general.

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" that won him the Source Awards'"Fat Tape" song of the year. ^[5] It peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. ^[6] In October 2003, Ja Rule met with Minster Louis Farrakhan, who wanted to intervene and prevent escalating violence in the feud between Ja Rule and 50 Cent. ^[7]

R.U.L.E. (2004)

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. The track "The Manual" was also a single in the UK. The RIAA certified R.U.L.E. Gold on January 14, 2005.

Hiatus, departure from Def Jam (2005-2007)

On December 6, 2005, The Inc. released Exodus , a greatest hits album, which contained the new songs "Exodus (Intro)", "Me" and "Exodus (Outro)". 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. ^[8] 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 the same company as Def Jam).

The Mirror: Reloaded (2007-present)

The first single of his eighth album The Mirror , "Uh-Ohhh!", featuring Lil Wayne, came out in August 2007. It peaked at #69 on the U.S Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and #107 on the Billboard 200. Two other singles released after were "Body" featuring Ashley Joi, which peaked at #71 on the U.S Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and "Sunset" featuring The Game. ^[9] Originally, The Mirror was to be released on September 12, 2007, ^[10] then delayed to November 13. ^[11] That release date was delayed, and further delayed for an October 14 release. That too, was delayed. Ja Rule's official Myspace page states a "Coming Soon!" release for the album, and the JaRule.net website later listed a 2008 release time frame for The Mirror . Addressing the leak of tracks from his original version of The Mirror , Ja Rule announced in a 2009 interview with HipHopDX that he would record an entirely new album, The Mirror: Reloaded . ^[12] The original version of The Mirror was released as a free online download on July 31, 2009. ^[13]

In 2009, Ja Rule recorded a new song with Brazilian singer Wanessa, "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. ^[14] "Fly" was released as a single in Brazil in April. The song is ranked number #1 on Crowley/Brazil ^[15], and it was nominated in the "Hit do Ano" ("Hit Song of the Year") category at the 2009 MTV Video Music Brasil awards show. Ja Rule and Wanessa will perform together at the awards. ^[16]

According to MTV Brasil, he also plans to release a new mixtape this year, called "Welcome To New York". ^[17]

Personal life

Family

In April 2001, Ja Rule married Aisha Murray; ^[18] whom he met in high school. ^[19] They have two sons, Jeffrey Jr. (born 2000) and Jordan (born 2004), and daughter Britney (born 1995). ^[20]

Criminal charges

In 2003, he had punched a man in Toronto, who later sued Ja Rule, but they settled out of court. He has since been banned entry into Canada indefinetely. ^[21] In 2004, police investigated whether a feud involving The Inc. led to fatal shooting outside a nightclub party hosted by Ja Rule. ^{[22] [23]} Ja Rule was also arrested that year for driving with a suspended license and possessing marijuana on July 1. ^[24] In July 2007, Ja Rule was arrested for gun and drug possession charges along with Lil Wayne.

Controversial Comments on homosexuals

When interviewed for an article in the September 2007 issue of Complex magazine, Ja Rule spoke against media depiction of homosexuality:

“	"ref">[25]	”

For the latter comment he was publicly impugned by the GLAAD:

“	"ref">[26]	”

During an interview with online MySpace interview channel The Hook Up on October 24, 2007, Ja Rule claimed that Complex magazine had misquoted him, and that he is "not at all" homophobic. ^[27] He went on in a January 2008 issue of XXL magazine to state his words were taken out of context. He is quoted as stating:

“	"ref">[28]	”

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. ^[29]

Discography

Albums

• 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)
• The Mirror: Reloaded (2009)
• Welcome to Rule York [Mixtape] (2009) ^[30]
• Ja Rule's 8th Studio Album (2010) ^[30]

Compilations

• Irv Gotti Presents: The Murderers (2000)
• Irv Gotti Presents: The Inc. (2002)
• Irv Gotti Presents: The Remixes (2002)
• Exodus (2005)

Awards and nominations

Year	Award/Nomination
2001	Source Hip-Hop Music Award Won for Single of the Year - "Put It on Me"
	MTV Video Music Awards nomination for Best Rap Video - "Put It on Me"
2002	MTV Video Music Awards Won for Best Hip-Hop Video - "I'm Real (Murder Remix)"
	MTV Video Music Awards nominated for Best Hip-Hop Video - "Always on Time"
	American Music Award nominated for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist
	Grammy Awards 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/Sung 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	Source Award Won for R&B/Rap Collboration of the Year - "Thug Lovin'"
	American Music Award nomination for Favorite Hip-Hop/R&B Male Artist
	Grammy Awards nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration - "Always on Time"
2004	Source Award Won for Phat Tape Song of the Year - "Clap Back"
2009	MTV Video Music Brasil nomination for Hit do Ano (Song of the Year) - "Fly"

Acting career

During his break from rapping, Ja Rule had an appearance as another street racer in The Fast and the Furious with Vin Diesel. He appeared in the 2004 movie Back in The Day along with Ving Rhames and Pam Grier. He also starred in the movie The Cookout with Queen Latifah. He is currently working on his bio-pic.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role
2000	Da Hip Hop Witch	Himself
	Turn it Up	David 'Gage' Williams
	Backstage	Himself
2001	Crime Partners	Hitman
	The Fast and the Furious	Edwin
2002	Half Past Dead	Nicolas 'Nick' Frazier
2003	Scary Movie 3	Agent Thompson
	Pauly Shore Is Dead	Himself
2004	The Cookout	Bling Bling
	Shall We Dance?	Hip Hop Bar Performer
2005	Back in the Day	Reggie Cooper
	Assault on Precinct 13	Smiley
2009	Don't Fade Away	Foster

References

1. Ja Rule: rap star rules hearts & charts - Jeffrey Atkins
2. Ja Rule on 50 Cent, God and Hip-Hop
3. Ja Rule: Rules of the Game
4. Ja Rule - Search Results
5. Murder Inc. Drops The Murder
6. Ja Rule > Charts & Awards (Billboard Albums)
7. Farrakhan warns hip-hop artists: Clap-back will only lead to coffins
8. Hip-Hop Producers Get Acquittal, Then Hugs, From Jurors
9. Ja Rule > Biography
10. Title Unavailable
11. Ja Rule Looks In The Mirror -- And Sees Who 50 Cent Wishes He Could Be
12. Ja Rule Explains Hip Hop Vs. Rock Music
13. Ja Rule's Long-Awaited The Mirror To Be Released Online
14. Wanessa Camargo faz dueto com o rapper Ja Rule
15. Sucesso de Wanessa Camargo chega no topo das paradas
16. VMB 2009: Massacration confirma megashow! Wanessa e Ja Rule também se apresentam!
17. VMB 2009: Ja Rule lança mixtape inédita ainda este ano
18. Hughes 2002, p. 142
19. 33 Things You Should Know About Ja Rule
20. Life with Rapper Ja Rule, Wife, and Kids
21. Ja Rule apologizes for punching the man
22. Police probing nightclub shooting
23. Ja Rule Target of Shooting Investigation
24. Rapper and Tap Dancer Arrested
25. Man in the Mirror - Page 3
26. Ja Rule Looks in 'The Mirror,' Comes Clean on Homophobia
27. Ja Rule's statement denying that he is homophobic and stating that he was falsely quoted
28. Stay Around by Anslem Samuel. ''XXL'' magazine. January 2008. Page 63
29. Bio
30. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.9590/title.exclusive-ja-rule-speaks-on-upcoming-projects
31. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.9590/title.exclusive-ja-rule-speaks-on-upcoming-projects