JA RULE

'Jeffrey Atkins' (born February 29 1976), better known by his stage name 'Ja Rule', is an American rapper and actor from Hollis, New York.

Contents

Education

Personal life

Career

Collaborations

Business interests

Philanthropy

Discography

Awards history

Filmography

External links

Education

He attended Junior High School in Floral Park, New York, where he met his future wife Aisha Murray and they graduated in 1991. They attended Martin Van Buren High School together but he did not graduate.

Personal life

When Atkins was five years old, his sister died from respiratory problems.
Atkins is married to his high school sweetheart, Aisha Atkins née Murray. The couple have three children: Brittney (11), Jeffrey Junior (6) and Jordan (3). He and his family live in a mansion in New Jersey.

Career

Atkins appeared with 0-1 and Chris Black as part of Cash Money Click (not to be confused with Cash Money Records).
In 1998, he was signed to Def Jam Recordings, with his first major appearance alongside Jay-Z on the song "Can I Get A...". In 1999, he released his solo debut, Venni Vetti Vecci, and had a hit single "Holla Holla". The album went on to platinum status.
In 2000, Atkins was also featured on Irv Gotti's successful album, ''. This album featured other Murder Inc. record label artists as well as DMX, Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes.
In 2000 Atkins released '', his second album. The first released single was "Between Me & You" featuring Christina Milian, which proved to be a hit and was followed by another successful single, "Put It On Me" featuring Lil' Mo and Vita. The album received an unexpected level of support, and went on to go triple platinum.
On October 2 2001, Atkins released his third album, ''Pain Is Love''. The first single, "Livin' It Up", was a hit. It featured guest vocals by R&B singer Case and sampled Stevie Wonder's "Do I Do". The follow up single, "Always On Time", was released in December of the same year and was yet another success. The song introduced the public to singer Ashanti, who performed the chorus. The album also featured the successful remix "I'm Real" with Jennifer Lopez. Finally, the album included the song "So Much Pain", a tribute to Tupac Shakur, and also went on to become triple platinum.
His fourth studio album, ''The Last Temptation'', was released on November 19 2002. Although the album was fairly successful (it was certified platinum), it failed to carry the momentum brought by his previous album. Lead singles, "Thug Lovin" (featuring Bobby Brown) and "Mesmerize" (featuring Ashanti) were successful.
In 2002, Atkins appeared on '' and ''Irv Gotti Presents: The Remixes''. Both albums were successful, spawning such hits as "Down 4 U" and "Ain't It Funny Remix."
Atkins' fifth album, ''Blood in My Eye'', was known for tracks which were brutally aimed at rappers 50 Cent, Eminem, Dr. Dre, D-12, G Unit and Busta Rhymes.
Atkins released ''R.U.L.E.'' on November 9, 2004, and had hits with "Wonderful" (featuring R. Kelly), "New York" (featuring Fat Joe and Jadakiss), and "Caught Up" (featuring Ashanti & Lloyd). The album was certified Platinum in the U.S.
Atkins recently released new tracks from his upcoming mixtape on his myspace page. The mixtape features contributions from artists such as Ashanti, Fat Joe, Nas, Black Child, Caddillac Tah and 0-1, as well as brand new signees Harry O, Young Life and The Gift. He also is releasing his first single from his upcoming album, ''The Mirror'', titled "Body" and has shot a video for another song "Uh Oh" featuring Lil Wayne.
He appeared on the remix of "Rakata" by Wisin Y Yandel.
Atkins was rumored to be in the upcoming movie ''Saw IV'', which was filmed in April, 2007 in Toronto and is scheduled to be released October 26, 2007. With the release of the official cast list^[1] he will not be starring in the upcoming flick.

Collaborations

Atkins collaborated with rock band Metallica on the song "We Did It Again."
He was featured in the 1999 Hard Knock Life Tour, also featuring DMX, Jay-Z, DJ Clue, Memphis Bleek, Redman, Method Man and many other mainstream artists.
Atkins and Fat Joe recently collaborated for a remix of Musiq's song entitled "Buddy."
Atkins recently appeared on a remix of Snoop Dogg's "Imagine", featuring Dr. Dre

Business interests

He is involved in several business interests. They include: The Inc Records, which he co-owns; the clothing line ErvinGeoffrey; a film production company; a deluxe liquor company; real estate properties; and an online casino, "StarsOnPoker.Com". He also has his own record label, Mpire Records.

Philanthropy

Atkins teamed up with associates of Tupac Shakur's organization and founded L.I.F.E Foundation, which opens its doors to underprivileged kids. The foundation has various programs which include art, music, poetry and sports.

Discography

Main articles: Ja Rule discography


★ 1999: ''Venni Vetti Vecci''

★ 2000: ''

★ 2001: ''Pain Is Love''

★ 2002: ''The Last Temptation''

★ 2003: ''Blood in My Eye'

★ 2004: ''R.U.L.E.''

★ 2005: ''Exodus'' (Greatest Hits)

★ 2007: ''The Mirror''

Awards history

Award	Category	Genre	Song/Album	Year	Result
Source Hip-Hop Music Award	Single of the Year	Rap/Hip-Hop	"Put It On Me"	2001	Won
Source Award	R&B/Rap Collboration of the Year	R&B/Rap	"Thug Lovin'"	2003	Won
Source Award	Fat Tape Song of the Year	Rap/Hip-Hop	"Clap Back"	2004	Won
MTV Video Music Award	Best Rap Video	Rap	"Put It On Me"	2001	Nominated
MTV Video Music Award	Best Hip-Hop Video	Hip-Hop	"Im Real (Murder Remix)"	2002	Won
MTV Video Music Award	Best Hip-Hop Video	Hip-Hop	"Always On Time"	2002	Nominated
American Music Award	Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist	Rap/Hip-Hop	-	2002	Nominated
American Music Award	Favorite Hip-Hop/R&B Male Artist	Hip-Hop/R&B	-	2003	Nominated
Grammy Award	Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group	Rap/Hip-Hop	"Put It On Me"	2002	Nominated
Grammy Award	Best Rap Album	Rap	"Pain Is Love"	2002	Nominated
Grammy Award	Best Rap/Sung Collaboration	Rap/Sung	"Livin' It Up"	2002	Nominated
Grammy Award	Best Rap/Sung Collaboration	Rap/Sung	"Always On Time"	2003	Nominated
World Music Award	World's Best-Selling Rap Artist	Rap/Hip-Hop	-	2002	Won
BET Award	Best Male Hip-Hop Artist Artist	Hip-Hop	-	2002	Won
GQ Men of the Year Award	Musician of the Year	Rap/Hip-Hop	-	2002	Won
Teen Choice Award	Male Artist of the Year	Rap/Hip-Hop	-	2002	Won
NAACP Image Award	Best Rap/Hip-Hop Artist	Rap/Hip-Hop	-	2002	Won
Soul Train Award	Best Rap/Soul or Rap Album of the Year	Rap	"Pain Is Love"	2002	Nominated

Filmography

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
|rowspan="1"| 2000 || ''Da Hip Hop Witch'' || Himself ||
|-
|rowspan="1"| 2000 || ''Turn it Up'' || David 'Gage' Williams ||
|-
|rowspan="1"| 2001 || ''Crime Partners 2000'' || ||
|-
|rowspan="1"| 2001 || ''The Fast and the Furious'' || Edwin ||
|-
|rowspan="1"| 2002 || ''Half Past Dead'' ||Nicolas 'Nick' Frazier ||
|-
|rowspan="1"| 2003 || ''Scary Movie 3'' ||Agent Thompson ||
|-
|rowspan="1"| 2003 || ''Pauly Shore Is Dead'' ||Himself ||
|-
|rowspan="1"| 2004 || ''The Cookout'' ||Bling Bling||
|-
|rowspan="1"| 2004 || ''Shall We Dance?'' || Hip Hop Bar Performer ||
|-
|rowspan="1"| 2005 || ''Back in the Day'' || Reggie Cooper ||
|-
|rowspan="1"| 2005 || ''Assault on Precinct 13'' || Smiley
|-
|rowspan="1" | 2007 || ''Kenny'' || TBA || post-production
|-
|rowspan="1" | 2007 || ''Furnace'' ||TBA|| post-production
|-
|rowspan="1" | 2007 || ''Don't Fade Away'' || TBA || post-production
|-

External links

'Official websites'

★ Official website

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★
'Interviews'

★ Interview with Ja Rule by Farrakhan

★ Ja Rule discusses growing up as a Jehovah's Witness

★ [1]