Ja Rule

Born Jeffrey Atkins on February 29th 1976, Ja Rule’s career began in 1993 when he joined the band Cash Money Click. He claimed that the name “Ja Rule” was just a name that his friends called him when he was younger. His debut came in the form of Mic Geronimo’s “Time to Build” in 1995, which featured Jay-Z and DMX. Later on, in 1998, Ja Rule signed to Def Jam.

“Venni Vetti Vecci” was released on June 1st 1999 and immediately went to number 3 in the Billboard 200 chart. It sold a staggering 184,000 copies in its first week, and later achieved Platinum Certification. The first single released of the album, “Holla Holla” went to number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Ja Rule led the release of his second album with the single “Between Me and You” which featured Christina Milian. The song peaked at number 11 on the Hot 100, whilst the second single “Put It on Me” reached number 8. When the album “Rule 3:36” was finally released on October 10th 2000, it debuted at the top spot of the Billboard 200, selling upwards of 276,000 copies in the first week. It eventually earned a Grammy nomination and was certified 3x Platinum.

“Pain Is Love”, released on October 2nd 2001 was hailed as one of the most successful albums of Ja’s career, being responsible for three top 10 singles, with two of which reaching number 1. The leading single “Livin’ It Up” peaked at number 6 on the Hot 100 chart, also a remix of Jennifer Lopez’s “I’m Real” topped the Hot 100. The first week of sales were in excess of 361,000, and like it’s predecessor would be certified 3x Platinum. In 2007, 3.6 million units had been sold. From “The Last Temptation” released on November 19th 2002 until “R.U.L.E” released on November 8th 2004, Ja Rule maintained his chart success with the albums being top ten successes on the Billboard 200 chart. The former achieved Platinum Certification.