BIGSONG:
Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in New York City, he debuted in 1999 with Venni Vetti Vecci and its lead single “Holla Holla”. During the 2000s, Ja Rule was signed to Irv Gotti’s Murder Inc. Records, formerly known as The Inc. From 1999 to 2005, Ja Rule had multiple hits that made the top 20 of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, including “Between Me and You” (featuring Christina Milian), “I’m Real (Murder Remix)” and “Ain’t It Funny” (both with Jennifer Lopez)—which both topped the Hot 100—the number 1 hit “Always on Time” (featuring Ashanti), “Mesmerize” (featuring Ashanti), and “Wonderful” (featuring R. Kelly and Ashanti). Rule has been nominated for two American Music Awards and four Grammy Awards with respective collaborators Lil’ Mo, Vita, Ashanti and Case. Following the release of his platinum-selling debut Venni Vetti Vecci (1999), he released his respective second and third albums Rule 3:36 (2000) and Pain Is Love (2001). Both albums topped the US Billboard 200 album chart, launching him into the mainstream, selling over a combined 15 million units to a wide audience, and attaining triple platinum status from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), becoming his best-selling albums to date. Rule followed up with his respective fourth, fifth and sixth albums The Last Temptation (2002), Blood in My Eye (2003), and R.U.L.E. (2004), with The Last Temptation attaining platinum status and R.U.L.E. reaching gold status. As of 2018, Rule has sold 14.4 million units in the US and has sold over 30 million records worldwide. In 2019, he joined the main cast of WeTV’s Growing Up Hip Hop: New York.Outside of music, Ja Rule is also well known for his role in the fraudulent Fyre Festival, which he co-founded with con artist Billy McFarland. In November 2019, he was cleared of any legal wrongdoing from his role in the festival.
