What Ever Happened To Ja Rule?
His Career Went Downhill After His Label's Legal Troubles And A Rap Beef
Photo: himat / Wikimedia Commons / CC0 1.0When Murder Inc. Records, the record label Ja Rule signed with in 1999, became the focus of a federal investigation in the early 2000s, all of its music ventures were shelved. Ja's career suffered; Murder Inc.'s parent label, Def Jam, blocked the release of some of Ja's old music, thus preventing him from making money on it. Murder Inc., its founders Chris and Irv Gotti, and Ja also got slammed in the press.
And then there was his beef with 50 Cent. The Queens rappers had a long history of physical conflict, but things got ugly on the radio when 50's career began to take off. The two released scathing diss tracks, but when 50 Cent's debut disc, Get Rich or Die Tryin', blew up, that was all she wrote.
He Went To Prison
Photo: John Byerly, CIV / Wikimedia Commons / Public DomainIn 2010, Ja Rule reached a plea deal to serve two years in prison for criminal possession of a weapon, stemming from a 2007 arrest. Before his sentencing, he pleaded guilty in 2011 to tax evasion for his failure to pay taxes on more than $3 million in income; he was ordered to pay more than $1 million in back taxes and fines.
Ja was released from prison in May 2013.
He Started His Own Indie Record Label
While embroiled in legal troubles, Ja released a few relatively unsuccessful albums. He stepped away from Murder Inc. in 2009 to found his own independent label, Mpire Music Group. With Mpire, he released Pain Is Love 2, a sequel to his hugely successful 2001 album; the new release severely underperformed.
He Wrote An Autobiography
Video: YouTube
Ja Rule published a memoir called Unruly: The Highs and Lows of Becoming a Man in 2014. The book covered Ja's professional successes, details about his wife and children, and how stardom changed him.
In one revealing anecdote, Ja noted that he lost his virginity at 10 or 11. He wrote: "Having your first taste, you know, like a vampire having your first taste of blood, is something you don't want to stop. You want to continue."
He Helped Create A Controversial Credit Card
Video: YouTube
In 2015, entrepreneur Billy McFarland hired Ja Rule to be the creative head and spokesman for Magnises, a credit card service that set out to become "an exclusive Black Card with special perks & VIP access for millennials." The service cost $250 annually.
Members said many of their promised rewards never came, or were canceled the day before they were scheduled.
His Fyre Festival Was A Colossal Disaster
Ja Rule made more headlines in April 2017, again for the wrong reasons. He was one of the minds behind Fyre Festival. It was supposed to be an exclusive music experience in the Bahamas, complete with celebrities and luxury accommodations. In reality, it was abysmal. The event ran out of food, housing was non-existent, and guests who had paid hundreds of dollars weren't even allowed to leave.
Ja said he was "heartbroken" and that the festival was "not a scam," but the venture came with some red flags. He co-organized Fyre Festival with Billy McFarland, with whom he'd partnered on Magnises, the failed credit card service. Ja Rule and his fellow Fyre Festival planners have been hit with multiple lawsuits.
He And Ashanti Performed On 'The Hamilton Mixtape'
Video: YouTube
Lin-Manuel Miranda channeled Ja Rule while penning the award-winning musical Hamilton. So when Miranda put together The Hamilton Mixtape, he enlisted Ja and Ashanti to duet on "Helpless."
Miranda explained, "When I wrote Hamilton’s courtship of Eliza [Schuyler], it was in the style of an Ashanti/Ja Rule song - and we managed to get them to cover that."
He Made A Powerful Enemy Out Of Eminem
Photo: Scott Kinmartin/Flickr / Eduardo Santos/Flickr / CC 2.0After years of feuding with 50 Cent, Ja took aim at Eminem, founder of Shady Records, to which 50 was signed. Unfortunately for Ja, the 8 Mile star was more than happy to hit back. Ja unleashed the song "Loose Change" in 2008, which called out Em for a variety of things, including not understanding "black pain." Of all the insults, the one that really got under Em's skin was directed at his daughter Hailie. On the track, Ja ridicules Em's mom, as well as his ex-wife Kim, before asking:
So what's Hailie gonna be when she grows up?
In response, Em dropped a scathing diss track titled "Doe Rae Me (Hailie's Revenge)," featuring support from his rap group D12. The song skewers Ja for imitating Tupac Shakur's lyrical stylings, and warns that if Ja ever mentions Em's daughter again, "Hailie'll whip your motherf*ckin' ass."
He Launched An MTV Reality Show With His Family
Video: YouTube
In 2015, Ja launched Follow the Rules, an MTV reality series following him, his wife Aisha, and their kids. On the show, Ja gives his kids advice, jokes around with his son Jeffrey Jr. about his clothes, and romances his spouse. It lasted one season.
He Starred In A Christian Movie
Video: YouTube
Ja has had numerous acting gigs over the years, appearing briefly in movies like The Fast and the Furious and Scary Movie 3, but he took on a leading role in 2013's I'm in Love With a Church Girl.
In the Christian film, co-starring Adrienne Bailon of 3LW and Cheetah Girls fame, Ja's character finds his faith and true love.
He And 50 Cent (Maybe) Settled Things
Photo: Alex Const / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0For years, 50 Cent and Ja Rule traded barbs on songs and in interviews. But in 2013, they encountered one another by chance on the same flight, and seemed to bury the hatchet. Ja reported that there was no animosity between them, saying: "That was a long time ago. We’re both about our money, about our families and we’re doing what we’re doing."
The conflict apparently wasn't squashed for good, however; 50 later threatened to slap Murder Inc. head honcho Irv Gotti, then insulted Ja's failed Fyre Festival venture.
'Coupe De Grâce' Will Be His Last AlbumÂ
While working on Coup de Grâce in 2016, he announced it would be his final album. "[The record] will be my last because I'm focusing more on film and television and my companies," he said.
Ja told AOL in an interview: "The meaning of Coup de Grâce is 'final blow,' and this is my last album. Venni Vetti Vecci (his first album) was 'he came, he saw, he conquered,' so that was kind of like my intro. That’s the full circle."
He Toured With Ashanti In 2016 And 2017
Video: YouTube
No matter how his newer music is received, Ja's past hits will always be fan favorites. In 2016, Ja and former collaborator Ashanti toured the United States together, then they toured with Eve in Australia in 2017.
He Collaborated With Metallica
Video: YouTube
Back before his career became embroiled in controversy, Ja Rule followed in the footsteps of rap/rock collaborators such as Aerosmith and Run-DMC by releasing a song with Metallica. The Ja x Metallica song "We Did It Again" was released on the soundtrack for the 2003 film Biker Boyz. It features lyrics like:
Just when you thought we were done
Just when you thought it was safe now
We did it, did it again
Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich described the effort as "a rock 'n' roll moment."
He Passed Up On A Huge Film Opportunity
Video: YouTube
In 2001, Ja Rule had a small part in The Fast and the Furious. His character, Edwin, was set to return for the sequel, this time with an expanded role. But he turned the part down.
"I just felt it wasn’t the best move for me as far as what I want to do in Hollywood right now," he said. "I’m really trying to do this acting thing very seriously. And you know, sometimes every move is not the right move."
It seemed like a smart decision at the time. Ja Rule was an incredibly successful rapper, and The Fast and the Furious wasn't yet a box office juggernaut. But hindsight is killer - Ja's role went to Ludacris, who has starred in the lucrative series ever since.
