Ja Rule Breaks Down His 25 Most Essential Songs

Ja Rule talks about making smash hits with Ashanti, Charli Baltimore, and of course, Jennifer Lopez.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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History is written by the winners, the old saying goes. Perhaps that’s why folks act like they never liked Ja Rule after his infamous clash with 50 Cent left his career mortally wounded. But don’t front—you had your Ja Rule moment. Everyone did. For most folks, it was during Ja’s dominating run of saccharine chart-topping hits were he teamed up with the likes of Ashanti, Christina Milian, Lil Mo, and Jennifer Lopez. Hey, those millions of records weren’t buying themselves.

For the older underground heads, it might have been during the mid-’90s, when he emerged as the standout member of Queens crew Cash Money Click and rhymed alongside Mic Geronimo. Or maybe Ja won you over during his repeated street-oriented collaborations with Jay Z and DMX. At one point, the three even planned to form a supergroup called Murder Inc. (Ja Rule’s right-hand man and go-to producer, Irv Gotti, instead ending up using the name for his record label.)

Either way, Ja Rule has been around for nearly 20 years now, and he’s got the hits—along with the battle scars—to prove it. He came off of house arrest just last month, after serving two years in state and federal prisons for weapons possession and tax charges. Yes, he already gave us a remarkably candid interview about prison, 50 Cent and more a few weeks ago, but he’s got a lot more to say.

Here, he breaks down his 25 of his most essential songs over his two-decade career. Along the way, we learn about the woman who inspired his biggest hits; the reason he, Jay and DMX will never reunite; and, most importantly, J-Lo’s booty.

As told to Alex Gale (@apexdujeous)

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Cash Money Click f/ Mic Geronimo "4 My Click" (1994)

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Mic Geronimo f/ DMX & Ja Rule "Time To Build" (1995)

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Album: The Natural
Producer: Irv Gotti

Ja Rule: “‘Time to Build’ was a special record because at the time none of us were who we were. We were all just raw and new. Mic was the star. That was the beginning of something special. You can hear the hunger in our voices. We really wanted it a lot. I listen to it still.


 

It was funny because Jay and X, you couldn’t get those two in the same room. They hated each other.


 

“It was a great moment for me and my career. I was probably 18—really young, hungry, and wanting to win. Being on a record with a great group of MCs and to hold your own—that’s what hip-hop is about. We were all very competitive all the way throughout our careers.

“But [Murder Inc.] didn’t start there. The idea didn’t come about there. That was just us being on a record together. Gotti knew each one of us and wanted to put us on a record with Mic. That was his guy at the time and he was pushing Mic. He really was just wanting to make a great record for Mic. It was funny because Jay and X, you couldn’t get those two in the same room. They hated each other.”

Cash Money Click f/ Jay Z & DMX "If It's On It's On" (1996)

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Jay Z f/ Amil & Ja Rule "Can I Get A..." (1998)

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Album: Vol.2...Hard Knock Life
Producer: Irv Gotti & Lil' Rob
Ja Rule: “I was working on my album. That’s how that record came about. I remember getting the beat—crazy beat—just jotting down my thoughts and putting them together. Jay heard it and was like, ‘This is dope. Let’s do it together.’ So Jay got on it, put his touches on it, and threw Amil—who I haven’t spoke to in a very, very long time—on it. The rest is history.


 

The video director [Steve Carr], he’s the one who told me to take my shirt off. It was the last scene of the video, and he was like, ‘I see you in the back doing pushups. So you wanna take your shirt off for this last scene and run one like that?’ And I’m like, ‘Uh, I don’t know.’


 

“There’s a great story behind that record. The video director [Steve Carr], he’s a funny guy, a great guy. He’s the one who actually told me to take my shirt off. It was the last scene of the video, and he was like, ‘I see you in the back doing pushups and shit. So you wanna take your shirt off for this last scene and run one like that?’ And I’m like, ‘Uh, I don’t know.’ He was like, ‘Do it—we’ll just shoot one.’ And that was it. That was basically my whole scene in the video was me with my shirt off. So big shout out to [Carr] for that. He had a vision. He’d seen it early.

“I really had a good time being a part of that. It really helped launch me. It ended up on the Rush Hour 2 soundtrack, Jay’s album [Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life]. Great opportunity. You never really know when you make a record that it’s going to be ‘that’ record, you know what I mean? So I’m just happy it turned out the way it did.”

Jay Z f/ Ja Rule & DMX "Murdergram" (1998)

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Album: Streets Is Watching Soundtrack
Producer: Ty Fyffe

Ja Rule: “That was going to be the start of something crazy but it didn’t work out. It was hard to get Jay and X to do things together. The egos were clashing at the time. They really didn't like each other from back in the day anyway. Now they were two big stars so it was like, ‘Fuck you,’ ‘fuck you.’


 

DMX and Jay Z really didn't like each other from back in the day anyway. Now they were two big stars so it was like, ‘F**k you,’ ‘f**k you.


 

"It will always be talked about as the thing that should have happened but didn't happen. We definitely make great music together.

“I don't think there will ever be a reunion. We're just all going in very different directions. Jay is Jay, Ja is Ja, X is…X. [Laughs.] We're all doing very different things. Me and Jay, we’re in a place where we're both still hungry as artists. X I don't think as much. I don't think he has the same hunger that we used to. I don't think he cares. But I don't know: Me and X are good, but I haven't spoken to him in a while.”

Ja Rule f/ Jay Z "Kill 'Em All" (1999)

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Album: Venni Vetti Vecci
Producer: Self

Ja Rule: “That was like our tradeoff. I put ‘Can I Get A…’ on Jay’s album and he was going to a joint for me as well, so he did ‘Kill Them All.’ It was just hard, street. I love that record. I was always a little mad at the fact that Def Jam wouldn’t allow me to put out those kind of records. What’s crazy is once they figure out that you can make those songs that become number ones and sell a gang of records, they don’t want those other songs. They don’t want you to put out those other records.


 

Def Jam was like, 'We're going with ‘Put It On Me.’ We’re going with ‘Wonderful.’’ It made it harder for me to go in and sell ‘Kill Them All,’ ‘Six Feet Underground,’ ‘Passion,’ or some of the other records that I wanted to do too. I think those would have made people feel me in a different way.


 

"They’re looking for the record that’s going to move the needle, that’s going to fucking get you the album sales. Once they discovered I had that talent, it was like, ‘No, we’re going with that one. We’re going with ‘Put It On Me.’ We’re going with ‘Wonderful.’’ It made it harder for me to go in and sell ‘Kill Them All,’ ‘Six Feet Underground,’ ‘Passion,’ or some of the other records that I wanted to do too. That I think those would have made people feel me in a different way.

“Had it been now, I could have did videos for those songs because artists is doing videos for every fucking record. Back then it was expensive to do a video. Now you can do a video with very little money and it will be very high quality. That was very hard to pull off back in those days. You had to go with the one that would move the needle versus the one that might not.”

Ja Rule "Holla Holla" (1999) / Ja Rule f/ Jay Z, Vita, Caddillac Tah, Memphis Bleek & Busta Rhymes "Holla Holla (Remix)" (1999)

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Album: Venni Vetti Vecci / Irv Gotti Presents: The Murderers
Producer: Irv Gotti & Ty Fyffe / Tai & Irv Gotti

Ja Rule: “It’s funny because ‘Holla Holla’ was the last record I made for Venni Vetti Vecci. I had the album completed and the album was sounding really good, but Def Jam’s kind of like, ‘Where’s the hit?’

At the time, I’m just like, ‘What the fuck you talking about? They’re all hits! This is great shit we just put together.’ I didn’t grasp the idea of making a radio record. I still don’t make records that way, I just make records by the way I feel or what’s going on in my day.


 

Me and Jay are still good. I was going to go out and hang out with him at [the Legends of the Summer concert with Justin Timberlake at Yankee Stadium], but it just wasn’t happening. I still had the bracelet [ankle monitor] on.


 

“I got that beat in the ninth inning and I created what I call my stutter flow. That’s when you got the doubling up on the verses with the lyrics. It was catchy, it was creative and it became my lead single. Sometimes God works in mysterious ways. Sometimes he’s not there when you call, but he’s always on time.

“I remember Busta coming on my tour bus and he was like, ‘I gotta get on this record!’ I think that’s when the idea hit right then for me to do a remix to ‘Holla Holla.’ And then we were on the Hard Knock Life tour and Jay just hit me and said, ‘I got my verse.’ He hit me with some of it and I was like, ‘This is gonna be a big record.’

“Me and Jay are still good. I was going to go out and hang out with him at [the Legends of the Summer concert with Justin Timberlake at Yankee Stadium], but it just wasn’t happening. I still had the bracelet [ankle monitor] on.

“I love what Jay has done as far as the growth of hip-hop. He’s done a lot of big things. That’s dope. I’m happy for him. It’s crazy to see it coming from where we all came from. He’s a smart businessman. He’s definitely done a lot for hip-hop, which is dope.”

Ja Rule f/ Lil' Mo & Vita "Put It On Me" (2000)

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Album: Rule 3:36
Producer: True Stylze & Irv Gotti

Ja Rule:“I made that for my wife. When I made that record, I remember everybody being scared of it because they were like, ‘Whoa, this is a love song.’ I remember everybody loving the shit out of the record, but being a little afraid. I was like, ‘Fuck that, this is it. Let’s run with this.’


 

There’s one thing about music that I always say: The art that you can't touch, it touches you.


 

“If everybody feels it like that, that’s what music is about. It’s about that feeling. There’s one thing about music that I always say: The art that you can’t touch, it touches you.

"So if everyone felt that strongly about the record, then this is definitely the record we should go with. So me and Gotti went to bat with that record. Def Jam was a little scared. Even Gotti was a little scared at first, but it all worked out.”

Ja Rule f/ Christina Milian "Between Me and You" (2000)

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Album: Rule 3:36
Producer: Irv Gotti & Lil' Rob

Ja Rule: “It’s crazy because records like this were like me going through a metamorphosis from my first album to my second album. I was starting to see the world and see different things on tour. I was getting into my niche of what I wanted to do for my second album and what I wanted it to sound like.


 

Def Jam was like, ‘We not really feeling this album. Where’s the ‘Holla Holla?’  I didn’t wanna go down in history as, ‘Remember that guy that made ‘Holla Holla?’’


 

“I remember making ‘Between Me and You’ and going back to Def Jam with that album and they were like, ‘We not really feeling this album. Where’s the ‘Holla Holla?’ You went completely 360. You went in a whole different direction.’ I was trying to explain to them that this is me growing.

"I didn’t wanna be known as the ‘Holla Holla’ guy. I didn’t wanna go down in history as, ‘Remember that guy that made ‘Holla Holla?’’ I didn’t want that. I wanted to give people something different so they could see that I was an artist and that I’m creative and have my own vision. I just wanted to let Def Jam know I see things a little differently.

“And it worked. It was a big record for me. I think right from that moment they understood who I was and what I brought to the table as an artist and that I wasn’t just the ‘Holla Holla’ guy.”

Ja Rule f/ Jennifer Lopez "I'm Real (Murder Remix)" (2001)

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Album: Pain Is Love
Producer: Irv Gotti & 7 Aurelius

Ja Rule: “That was [former Sony Music head] Tommy Mottola. I did a record for Mariah Carey and Tommy heard that and wanted me to do a record for J. Lo for a record she had on her album called ‘I’m Real.’ I got the record and was like, ‘What do you want me to do with this?’ Because it was more of a dance record. I’m like, ‘You want me to redo the whole record? Because I could do that. But I don’t know what to do with this.’ So we remixed it.

“Irv Gotti made the track and I wrote the record in literally 10, 15 minutes. Done deal. Called Tommy, ‘You gotta hear this shit; it’s fucking incredible, it’s the greatest record!’ Tommy comes to The Crack House, our studio, walked up six flights of stairs to hear this record because the elevator was broken.


 

I wrote [the N-word] in her verse and I think people took it out of context. I did that. Blame me. Be mad at me for that. But Spanish and blacks, we throw around that word.


 

“It was special because it was one of the quickest turnarounds in the history of records. It was the fastest turnaround of a record I’ve ever been apart of. We were on the jet the next day going to record and shoot the video. Everything just happened so quick. Jennifer heard the record, she loved the record, did her thing on it. It was a special moment because before that I don’t think there was rap artists writing pop songs or R&B records. I was entering into a new arena and it was fun.

“That record blew up so fast. It took me into a whole different realm. That record really took me global. It was a big record for Jennifer as well because it gave her that urban cool she was looking for. For both of us it was a win-win.

“I wrote [the N-word] in her verse and I think people took it out of context. I did that. Blame me. Be mad at me for that. But Spanish and blacks, we throw around that word. I think it was shocking to hear it coming from a female more than anything. They probably didn’t really look at Jennifer as a Spanish woman. She’s hood—she’s got her pass, she’s allowed to say that. That’s just how we communicate.”

Ja Rule f/ Ashanti "Always On Time" (2001)

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Album: Pain Is Love
Producer: Irv Gotti
Ja Rule: “I love ‘Always on Time.’ It’s just one of those records that’s fun. It kind of introduced Ashanti. She had done Big Pun’s record [‘How We Roll’], but she wasn’t featured. So it was kind of like a coming-out party.

“It was just a party record. I did records so fast. I hear the beat, I think of the hook. That record was put together very quickly. I wrote everything [Laughs].


 

That was my first number-one record. I didn't understand the magnitude of it at the time. A lot of those moments I didn't soak up the way most artists do nowadays because they know what it means.


 

“That was my first number-one record. I didn’t understand the magnitude of it at the time. Everybody was excited and I was like, ‘Great—what are we doing next?’ A lot of those moments I didn’t soak up the way most artists do nowadays because they know what it means. They know the meaning of it and know how big it is to have a number-one record or number-one album. Those things didn’t register to me like that.

“I was just happy to be in the studio making records, living my dream. I wanted to make records and people to like them and dig them. For me, that was happy. For it to go number one, I didn’t really understand how big that was. I do now, but I didn’t then.”

Ja Rule f/ Case "Livin' It Up" (2001)

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Album: Pain Is Love
Producer: Irv Gotti

Ja Rule: “That was about me starting to see the world, starting to see things a little differently. After I made my first album, I was kind of feeling, ‘I don’t wanna make another album about my struggle because I’m not struggling anymore. I’m doing well for myself. I’m starting to see things. I’m living it up. I’m learning about life and the finer things.’ I wanted the record to reflect that, so I made ‘Livin’ It Up.’ It came out really good—Case came and blessed me on the record.


 

Stevie Wonder absolutely loved the record.


 

“Stevie Wonder absolutely loved the record. [Ed. note—‘Livin’ It Up’ samples Wonder’s 'Do I Do.’] And he owns the whole record so he really loved it. [Laughs.] Big up to Stevie, because he actually wanted me to come perform at his tribute that BET did for him [in 2002]. He said, ‘I can’t do ‘Livin’ It Up’ without Ja Rule.’ It was really cool to do that and be with Stevie. Stevie is a great guy. I really respect him. I was honored that he liked my music and liked what I did with the cover of his record.”

Ja Rule f/ Lil' Mo "I Cry" (2001)

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Album: R.U.L.E.
Producer: Irv Gottia & Lil' Rob

Ja Rule: “Great record. A feeling record. It was one of those records where it was a call and response for my fans, but passionately—a passion record. That was one of the ones I slipped through the cracks, that I was able to get Def Jam to say yes to.

"I really love those records because they touch people differently. When I do that record in arenas, I do from left to right, ‘When I cry, you cry, we cry together.’ People really feel that record. They put their lighters up. It’s a different vibe.


 

Artists never get the roses while they can still smell them. People will look back on my body of work when I’m gone and say, ‘Ja was one of the dope ones.’


 

“A lot of artists are scared to be themselves on records, on wax, and speak their true feelings. Me, I’m not scared of that. I’m not scared to leave my emotions out in the booth and put them on wax. That may be one of the qualities, one of the things I took from Pac: Don’t being afraid to express your emotions on wax and be who you want to be on wax.

“Me and Lil’ Mo did a record not too long ago called ‘You and Me.’ It’s a really hot record. Maybe you’ll hear it soon. Maybe not. I have a lot of records in my vault just sitting that my family, they own. Maybe one day when I’m gone they’ll put them out. Artists never get the roses while they can still smell them. People will look back on my body of work when I’m gone and say, ‘Ja was one of the dope ones.’”

Jennifer Lopez f/ Ja Rule & Caddillac Tah "Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix)" (2002)

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Album: J to tha L-O! The Remixes
Producer: Irv Gotti, Cory Ronney & 7 Aurelius

Ja Rule: “I remember calling Jennifer and telling her, ‘Listen, I’ve got a joint for you. You're going to love this joint.’ She’s like, ‘Sing me the hook.’ So I sang her the hook and she loved it. It was fitting for what she was going through at the moment. When you write records for other artists, you want to get inside their head so you bring out the best in them. If they can’t say it, your job is to say it for them. I think I spoke exactly about what she was trying to say at the moment.


 

My first line is ‘It must be the a**.’ I thought that would catch people’s attention because, at the time, everybody was making a big deal about her a** but nobody wanted to say it.


 

“I remember doing the hook, laying the hook, and falling asleep in the studio. I told Ashanti, ‘Go ahead and hit that. Do what you do on that.’ So Ashanti wrote the verse for me. That’s our little secret. It’s not anymore, but at the time it was.

“My first line is ‘It must be the ass.’ I thought that would catch people’s attention because, at the time, everybody was making a big deal about her ass but nobody wanted to say it. Me saying it was a shock, like, ‘Oh shit, he just said that.’ That’s what music’s about: the wow factor, the shock factor. It was catchy because it was a play on [Craig Mack’s] ‘Flava in Ya Ear.’ It all just worked.”

Ja Rule f/ Bobby Brown "Thug Lovin'" (2002)

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Album: The Last Temptation
Producer: Irv Gotti

Ja Rule: “Bob! Crazy Bob. I've known Bob for a long time. Him and Whitney. I always was a fan of Bobby Brown’s music. I wanted to do something with him. So when I came up with the ‘Thug Lovin’ hook, which was also Stevie Wonder–inspired [by ‘Knocks Me Off My Feet’], I said, ‘Shit, let me let somebody that I’ve wanted to do a record for a long time, someone that needs a friend.’


 

Dudes were making jokes, trying to be funny talking about Whitney Houston's addictions and Bob. I'm like, 'Yo, let me get away from dudes before I punch somebody in the mouth.'


 

“So I called up Bob. Bob came in the studio and laid it down. He did his thing on the record. We did the video. Bob caught a lot of flack for the wired-up jaw and all that. That’s Bob. I wouldn't expect Bob to be nobody else but Bob. I love him for that. We had a good time doing that video. I remember us shutting down Hollywood Blvd. That’s not done easily.

“I haven't spoke to Bob in a long time, but we still cool. When Whitney died, that was devastating. You just never expect people to go that soon. You never know when people are going to pass. It’s just sad. We watched it [in jail]. But I didn't want to—it was touchy for me.

"Dudes were making jokes, trying to be funny and shit talking about her addictions and Bob. I'm like, Yo, let me get away from dudes before I punch somebody in the mouth. I had to let dudes know she’s a friend. I just couldn't watch it. It was depressing.”

Fat Joe f/ Ja Rule & Ashanti "What's Luv?" (2002)

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Album: Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.)
Producer: Irv Gotti

Ja Rule: “‘What’s Love’ was a great record. I wrote and rapped part of the hook for Crack [Fat Joe] on that record. Originally, Crack wanted me on that record [doing a verse]. When I did it I called him back up. I said, ‘Crack, this is for you. This is your record and don’t have me on the record. I don’t want to get on the record. I want to say this so you aren’t offended.’


 

What I was trying to explain to Crack was, ‘This is going to be big for you and if I get on the record, people may deem it a Ja Rule record.’


 

“When a guy wants you on his record and you don’t want to do the record, they feel like, ‘They don’t want to do a record with me.’ What I was trying to explain to Crack was, ‘This is going to be big for you and if I get on the record, people may deem it a Ja Rule record.’ He understood what I was trying to say and did the record.

“To this day I’m happy I didn’t get on that record because that was big for Crack. I wanted that to be a big record for him and not for people to look at it as a Murder Inc./Ja Rule record. If I was on that record I think people would have seen it as my record.”

Mary J. Blige f/ Ja Rule "Rainy Dayz" (2002)

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Album: No More Drama
Producer: Irv Gotti

Ja Rule: “I wrote that record on 9/11 after the Towers went down. I went in my basement in my studio and put that record together because that’s how I was feeling about the situation. I felt like the nation—us as a country, us as people—we were going through a rainy day. It will pass but today this is what it is. ‘Spend a lifetime trying to wash away/’Till the sun shines and I see your face/Smile at me.’ That’s how we felt as a country. The sun will come out and eventually we all will shine again, rise again, and be strong again.


 

Maybe one day I’ll put out an album of my references, because I actually sing the records and give them to [other artists]. I had referenced ‘Rainy Dayz’ and it was me singing the whole record.


 

“I wrote that record with TLC in mind. I remember being on the phone with Tionne [T-Boz] and singing her the hook to the record. I was in the office with L.A. Reid and she loved the record. She was like, ‘Oh, this is dope.’

“Then Mary walks in and hears the actual reference of the record. I reference all of these records. Maybe one day I’ll put out an album of my references, because I actually sing the records and give them to [other artists]. I had referenced ‘Rainy Dayz’ and it was me singing the whole record.

"Mary heard it and was like, ‘Give me that. I’m taking that.’ She went right to the studio and recorded it. She put her spin on it and it came out fucking incredible. I’m not going to tell Mary no. I’m not going to tell the Queen no. It worked out for both of us. It was a big record for Mary, a big record for me. A dope collabo.”

Ja Rule f/ Charli Baltimore "Down Ass Bitch" (2002)

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Album: Pain Is Love
Producer: 7 Aurelius & Irv Gotti

Ja Rule: “That was also about my wife. [Laughs.] We’ve been down for a long time. I used to say to her a lot while I was in prison, ‘You really my down ass bitch.’ She’s been through it all with me. I say that as the utmost term of endearment.

"She’s been down with me through thick and thin: When I didn’t have shit to me being fucking super rich and living a great lifestyle, through my beef shit, me going through my prison term. She’s been with me through everything. That’s my better half.


 

Charlie Baltimore caught a raw deal [with] the whole B.I.G. situation with Faith. People saw her as the home-wrecker or whatever. It was always like a dark cloud over her because of that.


 

I love Chuck [Charli Baltimore]. Chuck is a spitter. She’s an incredible lyricist. She does her thing on that mic. Me and her had fun putting that together. She caught a raw deal [with] the whole B.I.G. situation with Faith, them going through that and people seeing Chuck as the home-wrecker or whatever. The story never really got to be told from B.I.G.’s side because he passed. It was always like a dark cloud over Chuck because of that.

"Female fans just didn’t gravitate towards her. She’s incredible. I love her. She absolutely didn’t get her just due as an MC, as an artist. I haven’t spoke to her in a while but we’re still cool.”

Ja Rule f/ Ashanti "Mesmerize" (2002)

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Album: The Last Temptation
Producer: Chink Santana & Irv Gotti

Ja Rule: “I made that up in a hotel. I was listening to one of the Isley Brothers’ records and I came up with the hook and Irv was like, ‘That’s crazy.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, I’m gonna record that.’

"I’m always creating on the fly. I don’t write anything down on paper, I just create it, memorize it, then go in and record it. I called up Ashanti and was like, ‘I got one.’ Me and her will do something again soon. We speak a lot and talk about doing new music, so we’ll put something down for sure.”

Ja Rule "Clap Back" (2003)

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Album: Blood In My Eye
Producer: Scott Storch
Ja Rule: "'Clap Back’ was just raw energy. I remember getting that beat from Scott Storch and I was like, ‘Man, this is hard. This is for the streets.’ And I just went in on it.


 

The feds were listening. I couldn't say too much, but I said enough.


 

"It was in the time when all that beef shit was going on and I just wanted to express myself on wax, but without saying too much because the feds were listening. I couldn’t say too much, but I said enough.

“It’s crazy because that period in my career was looked upon as a dark period. I was supposed to be on my downswing. But when I put that record on at shows, it’s insane. It’s one of my biggest reaction records. I think it hit people a little bit. A little more than what they wanted to let on at the time. It’s all good.”

Ja Rule f/ Fat Joe & Jadakiss "New York" (2004)

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Album: R.U.L.E.
Producer: Cool & Dre

Ja Rule: “It was a big record for me. That was around the time of the whole beef with 50. I went down to see Cool & Dre and they actually thought of that hook. It was an old KRS-One song [Boogie Down Production’s ‘100 Guns’].

"They said, ‘Ja, we got an ill idea for you.’ They spit the hook to me and I was like, ‘That’s crazy. Don’t give that to nobody else. I need that!’ I’m used to writing everything, so for me it was a new feeling to have someone create something that I like. Usually I will take it, flip it, and do it over, you know? But I loved it.


 

Guys were trying to get me to do different local variations of the record, and I said, ‘Nah. This record is for New York.’ I’m happy I didn't, because wherever I go, wherever I perform the record, people sing that.


 

“We got Fat Joe, I hit up Jadakiss, and we put that thing down. I don’t think we really gave a fuck [about the beef]. It was just like, ‘Yo, we making a record. This is a hot record. We doing what we doing.’ Good music is good music.

“You know what’s funny about ‘New York?’ Before that, there were other records that were New York anthems, but then they made variations for other cities and towns. But this really is a local record. This record had its own legs. It was a whole different type of animal. We toyed around with the idea. Guys were trying to get me to do different local variations of the record, and I said, ‘Nah. This record is for New York.’ I wouldn’t make a different variation of the record. I’m happy I didn’t, because wherever I go, wherever I perform the record, people sing that.

“I don’t care where you’re from; New York is the mecca. People want to be a part of New York. They want to feel like they’re from New York. For them to sing that record for that moment, they was New Yorkers. They was repping New York. I’m talking worldwide. I go to different countries and I’m from New York.”

Ja Rule f/ R. Kelly & Ashanti "Wonderful" (2004)

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Album: R.U.L.E.
Producer: Jimi Kendrix & Irv Gotti

Ja Rule: “Me and R. we’ve been friends for a long time, so it was cool for him to jump on that for me. I remember we were in Miami when we did that record. I had just done [R. Kelly’s] Chocolate Factory previous to that. I came and blessed his album: We did a record called ‘Been Around the World’ which was really a fun record.

“He was going through a lot of stuff at the time; I was going through my shit as well. Both records had a meaning behind them. ‘Been Around the World’ was more or less dedicated to the fans and so was ‘Wonderful.’ It was kind of dedicated to my fans and my female audience. It had a feel of what I was going through.


 

R. Kelly was like, ‘Me and you Ja, I went through my thing and you’re going through your thing, but we’re able to write through that, which is therapeutic for us.’ When you can’t do that as an artist, it comes out the wrong way, it comes out in interviews, it comes out in a way that’s untasteful to your fans.


 

“Me and R., we had some real talks. I remember we had a conversation after we did ‘Wonderful’ and we was talking about Whitney [Houston] rest in peace. R. was just breaking down to me how it’s kind of fucked up for artists like Whitney because she’s going through her pain, but she doesn’t write the songs, so she can’t write through her pain. R. was like, ‘Me and you Ja, I went through my thing and you’re going through your thing, but we’re able to write through that, which is therapeutic for us.’ When you can’t do that as an artist, it comes out the wrong way, it comes out in interviews, it comes out in a way that’s untasteful to your fans.

“Even with me making Blood in My Eye, even though it was such a harsh and negative album, it was me speaking to my fans in the way they’re used to hearing it: through music. Not me saying in an interview, ‘Fuck this person, fuck that person.’ It came across differently because it came across creatively. When you can’t do that as an artist, it starts to weigh on you in a different way. ‘Wonderful’ was that.”

Ja Rule f/ Ronald Isley "Daddy's Little Baby" (2005)

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Album: Exodus
Producer: Self

Ja Rule: “‘Daddy’s Little Baby’ is for my daughter. It’s one of my favorites. She was a baby when I made the record. She was four or five. She’ll be 18 in September. She’s going to Hampton University in August. I’m very proud. I can’t say too many on my side of the family went to college. I don’t even think my uncle Bruce went to college, and Bruce is a smart motherfucker. That’s where I get my, ‘You can educate yourself and be a very wise, smart person.’ He’s done very well in business and in his life. I call him the blueprint.

“That record is very special to me. For me it’s like a guideline. She can always listen to that record and hear Daddy’s voice and know what I expect of her.”

Ja Rule f/ Lil' Wayne "Uh-Ohhh!" (2007)

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Album: The Mirror
Producer: Minnesota

Ja Rule: “It should have been bigger! It was a dope record. Sometimes records just don’t work. It’s crazy. Sometimes the records you feel should work, don’t work, and the records you feel are not going to work, work big. You never know. I never go in with a predetermined [attitude like,] ‘I’m going to make a radio record or I’m going to make street record.’ I’m just going to make music.


 

That, ironically, was the song that got us both locked up. ‘Uh Oh’ is really ‘uh-oh.’


 

“I love Wayne. He’s a good dude. I made the ‘Uh Oh’ record, called up Weezy and said, ‘I got a joint for us. Me and you can do it. It’s hot. It’s got it’s own vibe on it. I’m doing the stutter style.’

"He liked it. He did it that night and sent it right back. That’s what I love about Wayne: He’s a fast worker like me. I don’t like to hold people’s records. I get ’em, you’re going to get them back the next night. The same night or the morning of. Done.

“That, ironically, was the song that got us both locked up. I look at it like that because we were performing ‘Uh Oh’ at the Beacon Theater when we both got popped [in 2007]. ‘Uh Oh’ is really ‘uh-oh.’”

Ja Rule "Falling To Pieces" (2011)

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Album: N/A
Producer: 7 Aurelius

Ja Rule: “I love that record. I love the group we sampled, the Script. They’re a great group. It was really a freestyle I did when I was in the studio just fucking around. There’s great feeling and meaning behind the record. Falling to pieces: That was how I was feeling.


 

If you buy my whole discography and you listen to my albums, you really don’t have to interview me or anything. You can just listen to the records from Venni Vetti Vecci to Pain Is Love 2 and know what I was going through each moment in my career.


 

"Like I said, I’m an artist and I’m passionate. I make records on how I feel and what I’m going through at the moment. If you buy my whole discography and you listen to my albums, you really don’t have to interview me or anything. You can just listen to the records from Venni Vetti Vecci to Pain Is Love 2 and know what I was going through each moment in my career. For me, that’s what makes a great artist.

“One of my engineer dudes in the studio just put that beat together for me with the sample. I just freestyled over it. Then [producer Letter] 7 touched it up later on. He made it a little cleaner, produced it a little more.

“I wanted to put together an album for my hardcore fans, for my diehard fans to have something to listen to while I was gone. And just to know that I still make great music.”

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