Ja Rule
by Whatdo on Aug.11, 2010, under Ja Rule
Jeffrey Atkins, better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper and hip hop singer.
Born 29th February 1976 in Queens, New York City, Atkins took an interest in hip hop from a young age and in 1994, at the age of eighteen, he began his rap career with the group Cash Money Click, for which he chose the pseudonym Ja Rule. The group released one single – Get Tha Fortune – and recorded an entire debut album but it was never released. His first mainstream solo appearance was on Jay-Z’s 1998 single Can I Get A…, along with the rapper Amil, which reached the Top 20 on the Billboard 200.
Ja Rule released his debut album Venni Vetti Vecci on 1st June 1999. It shot to number three on the Billboard 200, selling over a million copies before the year was out, and producing the Hot 100 Top 40 single Holla Holla. This was followed by the 2000 album Rule 3:36, which hit the top spot, sold over five million copies and scored hits with the singles Between Me and You (ft. Christina Milian), Put It on Me (ft. Lil’ Mo and Vita) and I Cry (ft. Lil’ Mo), then the 2001 release Pain Is Love. Also shooting to the top of the Billboard 200, the rapper’s third album gave him the first two (and to date only two) US number one hits of his career - I’m Real (Murder Remix) (ft. Jennifer Lopez) and Always on Time (ft. Ashanti) – as well as the Top 10 hit Livin’ It Up (ft. Case). The album also earned him three Grammy Award nominations and three MTV Video Music Award nominations – winning one for Best Hip-Hop Video (I’m Real).
The rapper has since released three more albums and scored hits with singles like Mesmerize (ft. Ashanti), Wonderful (ft. R. Kelly and Ashanti) and New York (ft. Fat Joe and Jadakiss). His eighth studio album The Renaissance Project is due for release towards the end of 2010.
