Global InformationJa Rule information
Ja Rule | |
|---|---|
 Ja Rule in 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jeffrey Bruce Atkins |
| Also known as | Jah |
| Born | February 29, 1976 New York City, U.S. |
| Genres |
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| Occupations |
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| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Discography | Ja Rule discography |
| Years active | 1994–present[4] |
| Labels |
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| Formerly of | Murder Inc. |
| Spouse(s) |
Aisha Murray (m. 2001) |
| Children | 3 |
Jeffrey Bruce Atkins Sr.[5] (born February 29, 1976),[1] better known by his stage name Ja Rule (/dʒɑː ruːl/), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. 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 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 peaked within the top ten of the chart and spawned from commercially successful album releases.
Venni Vetti Vecci (1999) was met with critical and commercial success, receiving platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); it was followed by his second and third albums Rule 3:36 (2000) and Pain Is Love (2001), both of which topped the US Billboard 200. Selling over 15 million combined units, both also received triple platinum certification 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.
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.
- ^ a b c Birchmeier, Jason. "Ja Rule | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
- ^ Halnon, K. (2013). The Consumption of Inequality: Weapons of Mass Distraction. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 51. ISBN 9781137352491.
- ^ "Ja Rule Set for Prison Sentencing". Billboard. June 8, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Rules of the Game 2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Ja Rule on Twitter". Twitter.com.
- ^ Wheeler, Andre (November 19, 2019). "Ja Rule cleared of wrongdoing over Fyre festival disaster". The Guardian. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ "Fyre Festival: where are they now three years later?". ABC News. April 23, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2022.