Ja Rule

Jeffery Atkins (born February 29, 1976, Hollis, Queens, New York City), better known as Ja Rule (Jeffery Atkins Represents Unconditional Love Exists), is a rapper who made a string of popular hip hop songs in the 2000's

Early career

Ja Rule was discovered and mentored by producer Irv Gotti, who produced records for Ja's group, the Cash Money (later "Murder") Click, and even rigged The Box's vote-by-phone system so as to get the Cash Money Click's video more airplay. In 1998, Gotti secured a distribution deal for his Murder Inc. Records label with Def Jam, and Ja Rule was groomed as Murder Inc.'s flagship artist. Ja served as hypeman for DMX, and was a protege to both Gotti and Jay-Z. He appeared on the Jay-Z track "Can I Get A ...", which was his introduction into the mainstream music industry.

Related Topics:
Irv Gotti - The Box - 1998 - Murder Inc. Records - Def Jam - DMX - Jay-Z

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After the success of "Can I Get A...", Ja wasted little time preparing and releasing his debut album, Venni, Vetti, Vecci, in 1999. It spawned the hit single "Holla Holla", and a mildly received follow-up "Daddy's Little Baby". In 2000, Gotti released the Irv Gotti Presents the Murderers LP to introduce the rest of the Murder Inc. roster, including Vita, Black Child, Tah Murder, O-1, and Ronnie Bumps. The singles from the project, "We Don't Give a What" and "We Murderers Baby" were minor hits on the Hot Rap Singles chart only. A third single, the Ja Rule solo track "How Many Wanna", was a mild success, and was featured on the soundtrack to the film Light It Up.

Related Topics:
Venni, Vetti, Vecci - Single - 2000 - Irv Gotti Presents the Murderers - Vita - Light It Up

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