The hip-hop landscape of the early 2000s is unimaginable without key figures of that time: Jay-Z, DMX, Nelly, and many others. Most of them have already lost their relevance and do not release new works. However, the creativity of the period when they were at their peak still deserves revisiting. One such artist is Ja Rule.

‘Holla! Holla!’ was how the hip-hop newcomer announced his entry into the scene back in 1999

Back then, an artist’s fate was decided by sales, so when Ja Rule’s debut album ‘Venni Vetti Vecci‘ went platinum in a few weeks, it meant only one thing—the industry had a new star who would capture listeners’ attention for at least the next few years.

The Roman expression ‘Came, saw, conquered‘ perfectly described the rapid start of Ja‘s career. He was a 100% product of his era, finding himself in the right place at the right time. His rugged yet velvety voice timbre made the rapper stand out from all the others.

His performance especially contrasted with that of R&B singers who eagerly collaborated with him. Had Ja chosen hardcore rap, a direct collision and confusion with DMX would have been unavoidable. But since he played on a different field, no one else could really compete with him.

‘Put It On Me’ is one of Ja Rule’s most famous songs

“Put It On Me” is one of Ja Rule’s most famous songs and, along with ‘Between Me & You,’ the starting point in establishing the rapper as a hitmaker for MTV, radio, and various urban charts. His place in the ‘Murder Inc.’ and proximity to rising star Ashanti allowed Ja to churn out similar tracks in bulk.

In the end, the alliance of two completely polar yet incredibly talented artists became one of the brightest and most enduring partnerships in hip-hop. In total, about ten joint songs can be counted, including their participation on tracks by other artists. The main tracks by Ja and Ashanti became ‘Always On Time,’ ‘Mesmerize,’ and, of course, ‘Wonderful‘ featuring R. Kelly.

Ja Rule owes much of his unprecedented success to the head of ‘Murder Inc.,’ Irv Gotti

Gotti created music for ‘Can I Live‘ by Jay-Z, ‘What’s My Name?‘ by DMX, ‘Hot Spot‘ by Foxy Brown, ‘Come Back in One Piece‘ by Aaliyah, amongst other popular tracks. However, Irv’s main protégé was Ja Rule, and the ‘Murder Inc.‘ label was formed under the wing of ‘Def Jam‘ only after significant success from its main ward.

Ja‘s career was threatened when an even hungrier newcomer, 50 Cent, crossed his path, a figure who contributed majorly to destroying his reputation. Both sides of the conflict offered different versions of how it originated, but the main reason was 50‘s unwillingness to accept Ja Rule‘s popularity.

50 Cent targeted his opponent in the track ‘Life’s On The Line,’ with the main message being ‘Scream murder! I don’t believe you!‘. In the track, Curtis compared himself to Jay and Nas in his ability to end MC careers with just nine lines.

Then came the track ‘Back Down‘ from the legendary ‘Get Rich Or Die Tryin” in 2003. That same year, an album-compilation in memory of Tupac, ‘Resurrection,’ was released. The closing track of the album was ‘Realest Killaz,’ where 50 Cent accused Ja of wanting to be like the gangsta rap legend. ‘Tupac wore a bandana—and you too, Tupac tattooed a cross on his back—and you too, but you’re not Tupac, you’re a pussy.’

The hatchet between the rappers was partially buried before the release of Ja’s new album ‘R.U.L.E.’ in 2004

The main bet in promoting the release was placed on the track ‘New York‘ featuring Jadakiss and Fat Joe. ‘I got a hundred guns, a hundred clips—I’m from New York‘—was the chorus.

50 replied: ‘Hundred guns, hundred clips—Why I hear no shots?’. These lines were just small fragments of a massive carpet bombing, placed by 50 Cent on the heads not only of the mentioned trio but also Nas and Shyne. It was after such a fierce response that Ja Rule‘s career declined.

In 2005, Ja Rule matured to release his first greatest hits collection

However, apart from the already familiar songs, the disc featured fresh tracks that had not been revealed anywhere. The opening track was ‘Exodus,’ mirroring the album’s title.

The video of the clip, containing cuts of photos and concert and party footage, unambiguously hinted that Ja was filled with nostalgia for those days when life was in full swing and the ‘Murder Inc.’ logo signified a guaranteed quality promising platinum sales and top hits.

After ‘Exodus‘, Ja left ‘Murder Inc.’. The label underwent a series of changes, primarily concerning its name. The word ‘murder’ was removed after a scandal involving alleged drug trading by the company.

As a result, Gotti‘s brainchild became just ‘The Inc.’. Over the following years, Ja was engaged in recording the long-awaited ‘The Mirror,‘ which was supposed to be released in 2007 as an official album. However, the process dragged on to the point that by 2009 the artist simply posted the material online for free download.

At the same time, Ja made one last attempt to strike at 50 before the final conclusion of a beef that had long ceased to interest both rappers.

Despite the fact that by the time ‘The Mirror‘ was recorded, Ja Rule had already largely lost his grip and relevance in hip-hop, he managed to release a main single, through which you can understand how R&B sounded in its best form in the 2000s. ‘Body‘ is a track that could have been a hit at any point in the rapper’s career onset. In 2007, making ‘Body‘ the flagship of the relaunch of his career for Ja Rule was already impossible.

Too many wounds were inflicted in clashes with 50 Cent, including the out-of-power brand ‘Murder Inc.’ and the lack of loyalty from most colleagues, except for The Game and Lil Wayne.

In 2011, Ja Rule began writing a sequel to one of his first albums, ‘Pain Is Love 2‘. Old friend and steadfast companion on his early records, Irv Gotti, was there to help. Inspired, Ja released one single after another, and at the beginning of 2012, he finally released his new album while being in prison.

Of course, there was no question of sales. The rapper faced more pressing legal issues. In 2007, he was caught for possession of an unregistered weapon. He was given a two-year sentence, but the prison term started only in the summer of 2011. The sentence was compounded by tax nonpayment from 2004 to 2008. After serving several years, Ja was released in 2013.

In addition to a significant music career, Ja Rule managed to participate in several films

The first was the movie ‘Turn It Up,’ where the rapper played one of the main roles. His more noticeable screen presence was marked by an appearance in the cult ‘The Fast and the Furious.’

In 2002, the rapper had another notable role. The movie ‘Half Past Dead‘ allowed Ja to shine his acting talent alongside cinema legend Steven Seagal. Ja‘s last significant role was that of a president’s bodyguard in the third part of the slapstick comedy ‘Scary Movie.’

P.S. Fame is a poor commodity: it costs a lot and doesn’t last. Ja Rule‘s career is clear proof of this. It would seem, what does it take for a once multi-platinum artist to record several good songs or even a whole album? But even for super-successful artists of the recent past, this becomes an impossible task.

Nelly, who sold millions of his copies, infinitely platinum R. Kelly, and even 50 Cent, who was the face of all world’s rap for several years—none of them can make a full comeback. Ja Rule never became the king of New York at Jay-Z’s level, who, despite the turn of decades, continues to rake in profits.