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Full Name:	Ja Rule
Birth Name:	Jeffrey Atkins
Famous As:	Rapper, composer, actor
Date of Birth:	March 01, 1976
Place of Birth:	Queens, New York, USA
Height:	5' 6
Nationality:	American
Hair Color:	Black
Eye Color:	Brown
Spouse:	Aisha Murray Atkins (since 2001)
Son(s):	Jeffrey Atkins, Jr.
Daughter(s):	Britney
Claim to Fame:	Single Can't I Get A... (1998)

• Weekend Celebrity Forecast: Ja Rule, Gwen Stefani, Tiger Woods, ...

  Las Vegas Weekly - Found May. 15, 2009 Also expected in Las Vegas are rappers Ja Rule and Sean �??Diddy�?� Combs;

• SOHH NYC: What do you Think of Ja Rule's "Murder" Shot at 50 Cent?

  SOHH Blogs - Found Apr. 13, 2009 Ja Rule spit a verse on Rick Ross's "Maybach Music" remix alongside The Bipolar Game and Wack Joe.�

• Chart Beat: Michael Jackson, The Black Eyed Peas, Jay-Z

  Billboard - Found Jul. 2, 2009 The others: the Beatles (three-in-a-row in 1964), Boyz II Men (1994), Puff Daddy (1997), Ja Rule (2002), Nelly (2002), OutKast (2004), Usher... DEA Joins Jacko Investigation - Daily Beast Michael Jackson: 3 albums sell 100K each - Entertainment Weekly Online King of Pop reigns over music charts - USA Today In Death as in Life, Michael Jackson Sets Music Sales Records - New York Times Explore All

  EURweb

• Head Spins: DJ J Felix

  Miami New Times - Found Jul. 1, 2009 ... the knobs and program some of the sequences for the likes of Nas and the Neptunes, Ashanti and Ja Rule, not to mention Mrs. Estefan herself. Marriott Special Adds Sizzle to the South Beach, Miami Hotel - EMedia Wire Marriott Miami Biscayne Bay Hotel Unveils Summertime Special - EMedia Wire Happy Hour of the Week: Late night at the Raleigh - South Florida Sun-Sentinel Explore All

  EMedia Wire

• TOP 5 DEAD OR ALIVE: M.O.P.

  All Hip Hop - Found Jul. 1, 2009 Ja Rule is actually a dope f**kin' MC. Ja Rule is nice as s**t. AllHipHop.com: His first album is classic.

• NOW AT 'EUR THIS N THAT' BLOG: Detroit City Council Loses Local ...

  EURweb - Found Jun. 30, 2009 Some of her victims ... oops, er, clients that will appear are Darius McCrary, Ja Rule, Big Boi, Akon, and Juelz Santana to name a few.

• Pitney vs. Milbank: The Aftermath

  The Politico - Found Jun. 29, 2009 ... sided with Pitney -- fellow traveler on the 'Green Line accessible beer'n Beam circuit' -- as does Spencer Ackerman, who to Milbank's Ja Rule.

• THE GREAT MUSIC DEBATE (1)

  Nigeria Guardian - Found Jun. 29, 2009 The boys and the girls are cloaked in outlandish jewellery and their prime heroes are Ja-Rule, Lil'Wayne, Fat Joe, P. Diddy, 50 Cents, Ronz...

• NOW AT 'EUR THIS N THAT' BLOG: Dishin' Dirt on the BET Awards ...

  EURweb - Found Jun. 29, 2009 Some of her victims ... oops, er, clients that will appear are Darius McCrary, Ja Rule, Big Boi, Akon, and Juelz Santana to name a few.

• Drake Reportedly Signing W/ Universal Records

  SOHH - Found Jun. 27, 2009 He wasn't getting radio play outside of ny when he was signed to columbia and he was dissing JA rule who was hot at the time, Shit he aint get...

Ja Rule extracted from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, distributed under the GNU Free Documentation License

Ja Rule
Ja Rule performing in Fort Hood, Texas on May 13, 2005.
Background information
Birth name	Jeffrey Atkins
Born	February 29, 1976 (1976-02-29) (age 33)
Origin	Queens, New York, United States
Genre(s)	East Coast hip hop, Pop rap, Hip Hop
Occupation(s)	Rapper, singer, actor
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Years active	1994–present
Label(s)	Universal, The Inc., Def Jam, Mpire
Associated acts	Murder Inc.
Website	www.jarule.net

Jeffrey Atkins (born February 29, 1976),¹ 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 is best-known for major hits such as "Holla, Holla", "Put It On Me", "Between Me And You", "I'm Real", "Livin' It Up", "Always On Time", "Mesmerize", and "Wonderful", Ja Rule has released six albums.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Music career 2.1 Venni Vetti Vecci (1999) 2.2 Rule 3:36 (2000) 2.3 Pain Is Love (2001) 2.4 The Last Temptation (2002) 2.5 Blood In My Eye (2003) 2.6 R.U.L.E. (2004) 2.7 Hiatus, departure from The Inc. (2005-2007) 2.8 The Mirror: Reloaded (2007-present) 3 Personal life 3.1 Family 3.2 Criminal charges 3.3 Controversial Comments on homosexuals 4 Philanthrophy 5 Discography 5.1 Albums 5.2 Compilations 6 Awards and nominations 7 Acting career 7.1 Filmography 8 References 9 External links

Early life

Atkins was born in Queens, New York. He was raised as one of Jehovah's Witnesses by his mother, health care worker Debra Atkins,² and grandparents. At the age of five his sister died from breathing complications, leaving him as an only child.³ He attended PS 186, a mixed school, but was later transferred to MS 172, another mixed school, due to daily fights he would be involved in.³

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".⁴

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 5 million copies as of August 2008. ⁵

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," and "I Cry," and "Fuck You" for 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 selling 302,000 copies in its first week and eventually going 3x Platinum and selling over 11 million copies worldwide according to Nielsen Soundscan as of August 2008.⁵

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 3x Platinum certification in the U.S. and it has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide.⁵

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 Platinum by December 25, 2002. According to Nielsen Soundscan, the album has sold 4 million copies worldwide.⁵ It was after this album that the '50 Cent & G Unit' era began, which would negatively affect Ja's future project's 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.⁶ It peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.⁷ 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.⁸

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, 2005.⁵

Hiatus, departure from The Inc. (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.¹

In 2005, The Inc. Records came under investigation because of drug trades by Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, who was associated with Irv Gotti.⁹ 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.¹ 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.¹ 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

In 2009, Ja Rule recorded a new song with Brazilian singer Wanessa Camargo in two different versions, with Camargo singing in Portuguese in the version named "Meu Momento" and singing in English in the version named "Fly".¹³ "Fly" was released as a single in Brazil in April; no word has surfaced yet about whether Ja intends or not to release the song in the U.S. or if he plans to add the song or not to his The Mirror: Reloaded tracklist. The song is ranked number #1 on Crowley/Brazil.¹⁴

Personal life

Family

In April 2001, Ja Rule married Aisha Murray;¹⁵ whom he met in high school. ¹⁶ They have two sons, Jeffrey Jr. (born 2000) and Jordan (born 2004), and daughter Britney (born 1995).¹⁵¹⁷

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.¹⁸ In 2004, police investigated whether a feud involving The Inc. led to fatal shooting outside a nightclub party hosted by Ja Rule.¹⁹²⁰ 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:

“

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.21

”

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

“

No fair-minded person can look at Ja Rule’s interview with Complex Magazine and believe for one second that his children could be more harmed by what they might see on television than by the vulgarity and prejudice that comes out of their father’s mouth. Now that media have seen Ja Rule's intolerance unmasked by his own words, they have a responsibility not to provide in the future a platform for his ugly, vulgar displays of prejudice.22

”

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.²³ 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:

“

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, it's too sexy for kids...24

”

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.²⁵

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)

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"

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

External links

• Official website
• Ja Rule at the Internet Movie Database

v • d • e Ja Rule Albums Venni Vetti Vecci · Rule 3:36 · Pain Is Love · The Last Temptation · Blood in My Eye · R.U.L.E. · Exodus · The Mirror: Reloaded Singles "Holla Holla" · "Between Me and You" · "Put It On Me" · "I Cry" · "I'm Real" · "Livin' it Up" · "Ain't It Funny (remix)" · "Always on Time" · "Down Ass Chick" · "Thug Lovin" · "Mesmerize" · "Clap Back" · "Wonderful" · "New York" · "Caught Up" · "Uh-Ohhh!" · "Body" Featured articles "Can I Get A..." · "I'm Real (remix)" · "Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix)" · "Rainy Dayz" · "Down 4 U" · "Fly" Related articles Discography · The Inc. Records · Mpire Records