Ja Rule

Ja Rule
Atkins in 2016
Atkins in 2016
Background information
Birth nameJeffrey Bruce Atkins
Also known asJah
Born (1976-02-29) February 29, 1976 (age 48)
Queens, New York City, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
  • actor
DiscographyJa Rule discography
Years active1994–present[4]
Labels
Formerly of
Spouse
Aisha Murray
(m. 2001)
Children3

Jeffrey Bruce Atkins Sr.[5] (born February 29, 1976),[1] better known by his stage name Ja Rule (/ɑː rl/), is an American rapper, singer, actor, and felon. Born and raised in New York City, Ja Rule became known as a leading figure in 2000s hip hop for his blending of gangsta rap with commercially oriented pop sensibilities. He signed with Irv Gotti's Murder Inc Records, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings to release his debut studio album Venni Vetti Vecci (1999), which spawned his first hit single, "Holla Holla". Ja Rule peaked the Billboard Hot 100 thrice in 2001 with his single "Always on Time" (featuring Ashanti) and his guest appearances on Jennifer Lopez's "I'm Real (Murder Remix)" and "Ain't It Funny". His encompassing singles, "Put It on Me" (featuring Lil' Mo and Vita), "Mesmerize" (featuring Ashanti), "Livin' It Up" (featuring Case) and "Wonderful" (featuring R. Kelly and Ashanti) have each peaked within the top ten of the chart and spawned from commercially successful album releases.

Venni Vetti Vecci (1999) saw critical and commercial success, received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and was followed by his second and third albums Rule 3:36 (2000) and Pain Is Love (2001), both of which peaked the US Billboard 200. Selling over 15 million combined units, both also received triple platinum certifications by the RIAA and remain his bestselling albums. He followed up with his respective fourth, fifth and sixth albums The Last Temptation (2002), Blood in My Eye (2003), and R.U.L.E. (2004); The Last Temptation received platinum certification, while R.U.L.E. received gold certification. Ja Rule has been nominated for two American Music Awards and four Grammy Awards with respective collaborators Lil' Mo, Vita, Ashanti and Case. As of 2018, Ja Rule has sold 30 million records worldwide.

Ja Rule Performs at Barclays Center, backed up by the NY Liberty Mascot Ellie the Elephant and her dancers
Ja Rule performs at halftime during the WNBA Playoffs at Barclays Center in 2024, pictured here with the NY Liberty's Ellie the Elephant

Outside of music, Ja Rule was met with scrutiny for his involvement in the fraudulent Fyre Festival, which he co-founded with con artist Billy McFarland. In November 2019, he was cleared of any legal wrongdoing from his role in the festival.[6][7] Earlier that year, he joined the main cast of WeTV's Growing Up Hip Hop: New York. As an actor, he has also starred in films such as Turn It Up (2000), The Fast and the Furious (2001), Half Past Dead (2002), Scary Movie 3 (2003), The Cookout (2004), Assault on Precinct 13, Back in the Day (both in 2005), Furnace (2007), and Wrong Side of Town (2010).

  1. ^ a b c Birchmeier, Jason. "Ja Rule | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
  2. ^ Halnon, K. (2013). The Consumption of Inequality: Weapons of Mass Distraction. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 51. ISBN 9781137352491.
  3. ^ "Ja Rule Set for Prison Sentencing". Billboard. June 8, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rules of the Game 2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Ja Rule on Twitter". Twitter.com.
  6. ^ Wheeler, Andre (November 19, 2019). "Ja Rule cleared of wrongdoing over Fyre festival disaster". The Guardian. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  7. ^ "Fyre Festival: where are they now three years later?". ABC News. April 23, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2022.

Developed by StudentB