Ja Rule

Jeffrey Bruce Atkins, (born February 29, 1976) better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. Born and raised in Queens, New York City, Ja Rule became known for blending gangsta rap with pop and R&B sensibilities. He signed with Irv Gotti's Murder Inc Records, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings to release his debut studio album Venni Vetti Vecci (1999), which spawned his first hit single, "Holla Holla". In 2001, he peaked the Billboard Hot 100 on several occasions with his singles "Put It on Me" (featuring Lil' Mo and Vita), "Always on Time" (featuring Ashanti), and his guest appearances on Jennifer Lopez's songs "I'm Real (Murder Remix)" and "Ain't It Funny". Commercially successful, Venni Vetti Vecci received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and was followed by his second and third albums, Rule 3:36 (2000) and Pain Is Love (2001), both of which peaked atop the US Billboard 200. With over 15 million combined sales, both also received triple platinum certifications by the RIAA and spawned the Billboard Hot 100-top ten singles "Put It on Me" (featuring Lil' Mo and Vita) and "Livin' It Up" (featuring Case). He followed up with his fourth, fifth and sixth albums The Last Temptation (2002), Blood in My Eye (2003), and R.U.L.E. (2004); The Last Temptation received platinum certification and spawned the top-two single "Mesmerize" (featuring Ashanti), while R.U.L.E. received gold certification and spawned the top-five single "Wonderful" (featuring R. Kelly and Ashanti). Ja Rule has been nominated for two American Music Awards and four Grammy Awards with respective collaborators Lil' Mo, Vita, Ashanti and Case. From 1999 to 2005 Ja Rule had seventeen Hot 100 hits, chiefly produced by Irv Gotti, and as of 2018, Ja Rule has sold 30 million records worldwide.