By the summer of 2002, Ja Rule was the biggest rapper in the game, period. Most rappers do not cement their legacy until they end up in a high-profile feud. For the past two years, Rule had been feuding with former friend DMX. Despite X winning the lyrical battle, it would be Ja who had the fans on his side. Regardless of what Ja Rule put out, the fans were loving him. He had found his formula with duets with Ashanti.
With all of the pressure being applied on Ja Rule from DMX, he cracked. During an interview, the question of DMX came up. Publicly, Rule called X out for his drug addiction and he also claimed that he was the second-coming of Tupac Shakur. In rap, there is often talk of a rapper coming up to fill the void left by Biggie and Tupac. Ja Rule had physical comparisons to Tupac, but most thought he would build his own legacy.
In 2001, Ja Rule shaved off his trademark cornrows for a bald head. By the time he was ready to film the music videos for his 2001 album, Pain Is Love, he had also bulked up. Not only did he begin to act like Tupac, but he also got multiple tattoos across his back like Tupac. When he released 2002’s The Last Temptation, Ja Rule rapped as if he was Tupac. Because of his actions, a lot of rappers called him out.
50 Cent, a rapper from his old neighborhood, had been plotting on Ja Rule ever since he first entered the game. Some people associated with Rule had many altercations with 50 Cent when he was recording his debut album, Power of the Dollar. The album contained a diss record which was called “Your Life’s on the Line.” In the song, 50 Cent questions Ja Rule and his so-called street mentality. He then credits Jay-Z and DMX for his success.
At the time, 50 Cent only dissed Ja Rule for the publicity. He said that there was a chance that the two could eventually work together. Any chance of that happening was ended when 50 Cent was left stabbed up after an altercation at The Hit Factory in New York City. If that was not enough, when 50 Cent prepared to film the video for the third single off of his album, some of the people associated with Murder Inc. Records shot 50 Cent and left him for dead.
Then signed to Columbia Records, 50 Cent was dropped after they discovered what had happened to him. The executives at Columbia Records soon got in contact with many other executives at other labels. With the people running Columbia Records doing all that they could in order to keep 50 Cent out of the game, he was forced into Canada. It would be here that 50 would create G-Unit Records.
In 2002, 50 Cent would release his second album, Guess Who’s Back?, which found its way into the hands of Eminem. From Eminem, the album would be passed along to Dr. Dre. Realizing the talent that was 50 Cent, they created a joint-venture deal for 50 Cent. Before the end of 2002, 50 had signed a $1 million deal to record on Shady/Aftermath. They would get right to work on the new 50 Cent album.
With all of the buzz that 50 Cent had, Ja Rule and Murder Inc. Records quickly jumped on the defense. This was even before 50 Cent had even dissed them. Following their restraining order that Irv Gotti showed, 50 Cent recorded “Back Down.” At the time, Ja Rule was still by far the biggest rapper in the game. Sensing that the people who go along with anything that they did, Ja made the decision to diss Dr. Dre and Eminem.
This would prove to be the biggest mistake of his career. Dr. Dre united with Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Obie Trice, 50 Cent, DMX, and the rest of G-Unit to end the career that was so successful. In a matter of months, Ja Rule went from having a top three single to being booed off of stage. Rule blamed the fact that he had left his hardcore roots on why he had fallen so hard from the top. 50 Cent made his case by taunting his style.
On his 2003 album, Blood in my Eye, Ja Rule created a “hardcore” album. While the album did feature a sharp turn from what his last album was, it mainly served as a place for Ja Rule to air out Dr. Dre, DMX, Eminem, and 50 Cent. Following the release of Blood in my Eye, Ja Rule returned to doing what he did best. 50 Cent thought that he had ended Ja Rule, but Rule proved that all he did was force a rest break.
For his 2004 album, R.U.L.E., Ja Rule collaborated with R. Kelly for a top five hit and he aligned himself with Fat Joe and Jadakiss for the “New York” single. In the video, there were cameos from The L.O.X., N.O.R.E., DJ Clue, Remy Ma, and many other hit makers of 2004. But, with everything going on with Irv Gotti in court, Murder Inc. lost their Def Jam deal. This came even after Ja Rule delivered to Def Jam another platinum plaque.
The year of 2005 was a quiet year for Ja Rule. Due to his executive role at Murder Inc. Records, he was preparing himself to move into the CEO role. Had Irv and Chris Gotti lost their case, they would have been unable to run Murder Inc. Since Ja Rule is third-in-line, it would have been his responsibility to run the label. But, once Irv and Chris Gotti won their case, Ja Rule shifted his focus back to the music.
While Ja Rule was recording, Irv Gotti was negotiating and he landed a deal with Universal Motown as the year expired. The next year, Ja Rule put together what most critics hail as the greatest album of his career with The Mirror. During the summer of 2007, he collaborated with new label-mate, Lil Wayne, on “Uh Ohhh!” The song could have been a hit, but with no promotion, it stalled on the charts.
However, on his next single, a collaboration with new R&B act, Ashley Joi, Ja Rule returned to his old style. “Body” became a fixture on BET and MTV, but outside of those outlets, the single was not promoted. Due to lack of promotion, that single also failed and The Mirror was set to come out in November. With insufficient promotion for the album, it was pushed back for another year. In 2008, Rule recorded another album that no one promoted.
In 2009, Ja Rule promised that he was going to release his album. But, with no distribution deal for Murder Inc. Records, the album did not come. Soon, Rule had to land a deal to release his album on his own. Earlier this year, Ja Rule announced plans for Venni Vetti Vecci 2010. Most critics feel that the album does have a nice sound. There is no doubt in Rule’s ability, but he needs the proper promotion.
Most people saw 2007 as Ja Rule’s chance for a major comeback. It was looked at as a now-or-never situation. Early on, it seemed as if Ja Rule was actually going to be able to come back and revive his career. After only being away for three years, it was possible. But, no one else saw the chance and his comeback has been away for three years. Now, Ja Rule plans to do the unthinkable and make a comeback after a six-year hiatus.