Blige's 'Rainy Dayz.' Near the end of the year, he released his fourth album, The Last Temptation (2002), which again paired him with R&B vocalists for its singles, this time with Bobby Brown ('Thug Lovin') and Ashanti ('Mesmerize'). Throughout the summer of 2002, Ja Rule was at his most popular, featured on not only his own hits but also as a featured guest on Fat Joe's 'What's Luv?' and Mary J. Pain Is Love (2001) followed the same template, serving up a few rap-R&B hybrids for the singles ('I'm Real,' 'Livin' It Up,' 'Always on Time,' 'Down Ass Chick') and filling out the album with hardcore rap. On his second album, Rule 3:36 (2000), he began collaborating with female R&B singers, and a string of radio-friendly hits resulted ('Between Me and You,' 'Put It on Me,' 'I Cry'). Born Jeffrey Atkins on February 29, 1976, in Queens, New York, Ja Rule established himself with Venni Vetti Vecci (1999), a hardcore debut album similar in style to the rugged thug rap then popularized by DMX and the Ruff Ryder collective. label, Ja Rule became one of the rap industry's most commercially successful artists during the early 2000s, working closely with the hitmaking producer and his stable of talent. Music VideosSee All Artist PlaylistsSee All Singles & EPsSee All CompilationsSee All Appears OnSee All Ja Rule New York Lyric MoviesSee All BooksSee All About Ja RuleĪs the flagship artist for producer Irv Gotti's Def Jam-affiliated Murder Inc.