Ja Rule: He of the Deep Voice

If he’s known for anything, Ja Rule is known for his deep, deep voice. There are few rappers in the world who can hit lower notes than he can. But I am sure you’ve also heard of him because of his seven hit records perhaps, or because he’s gone platinum many times over all across the planet.Yet believe it or not, it wasn’t always that way for Ja Rule. How’s that possible? Well, things started out seeming bright for the Queens native. When he was just 15, he got one of his first breaks in the hip hop world, and got picked up by TVT Records. Soon after, Irv Gotti hunted Ja Rule down and made sure to sign him to Murder Inc. Records.

Murder Inc. Goes Down

There, Ja Rule rapped with DMX and Jay-Z. Not heard of those rappers? I doubt it. Anyway, the threesome became what Gotti and master producer Russell Simmons called Murder Inc. All three collaborated on songs under this name. Murder Inc. got some play, but soon after DMX hit it big. When that happened, Murder Inc. fell by the wayside, as did the Ja Rule career, so it seemed.

Yet Ja Rule didn’t fade away. His other “partner” in crime, Jay-Z had a little rap career of his own picking up, and Ja Rule would guest star in many of that superstar’s songs. Jay-Z also performed on many Ja Rule songs. Ja Rule also got his way onto many of the albums of other Def Jam stars. Probably the best example of this was the song “Can I get A” by Jaz-Z.

Holla at Success

It was only a matter of time before that distinctive Ja Rule voice made it huge. When do I get to that point? How about right now? The year is 1999, and the first solo Ja Rule record comes out. It’s name is “Venni Vetti Vecci,” and it goes platinum. The three top singles off it are “It’s Murda,” “Daddy’s Little Baby,” and “Holla Holla.” Tell me you don’t forget those! As you’d expect from a Murder Inc. Records product (yes, the name was reborn), Ja Rule was joined by buds Jay-Z and DMX on many of the lines.

With a big taste of success, Ja Rule went for the proverbial throat of stardom with his next release, the 2000 album “Rule 3:36.” Some hardcore rap fans might tell you that it’s here that the star went soft. But this Ja Rule record went triple platinum, so he’s laughing all the way to the proverbial bank with this one, critics or not.

Ja Ruling Again?

More albums came in rapid fire succession. In 2001, he released “Pain Is Love,” followed the next year by “The Last Temptation,” both of which went platinum. His following album, and fifth in all, was “Blood in My Eye,” from 2003. What’s the big deal about this one? Perhaps it’s the opposite of all his other albums - in other words, this release had limited success and actually got Ja Rule into a lot of trouble. In this Ja Rule album, he picks fights with nearly everyone, from 50 Cent, to Eminem, to DMX, to even Dr. Dre. Did I leave anybody out?

Some might say his success hasn’t rebounded since. His 2004 album, “R.U.L.E.,” only went gold. And his 2005 record, “Exodus,” barely made a mark. Perhaps Ja Rule needed a fresh start? Perhaps. And luckily for him, he got one. He left Def Jam in 2005, and then was signed with Universal Records in 2006, from where his latest album comes from, “The Mirror.”

 

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