As Irv Gotti put it, At one time this man was a part of the trinity that was "the saviors of def jam". JAY-Z, DMX, JA RULE the men three saved the label in the days of Polygram when they were at one time financially crippled. With Rule 3:36 going triple platinum. And Pain Is Love very well on the way to making him a household name. Jeffery Atkins ship was running quite smoothly. Then one day his ship hit an Iceberg by the name of 50 CENT. Who's affiliate robbed Ja Rule. Which sparked confrontation between the two. 50 CENT was a small time artist but creatively built a buzz with the single "How to Rob" and then quickly became a rising star after a unsuccessful attempt on his life. His would-be murderer nicknamed HOMMO would be gunned down 3 weeks later. Although major labels backed away from him after the incident. This Breathed new life in him as his career. His work ethic on the mixtape circuit became legendary. New York had not seen a mixtape buzz like this since an Intimidating Canibus dominated the scene in 1997.His buzz became so big that it reached the ear of Eminem who then passed it over to Dr.Dre. Who were interested in acquiring him for a joint label deal with Shady/ Aftermath one of the biggest labels at the time. At that point he became a massive potential threat for Ja Rule as he was no longer small time.
One of the things that attributed to Murder Inc downfall was their associations. FBI had kicked in the doors on Universal and Irv Gotti and his in famous Murder Inc. label was his affiliation with Southside Jamaica Queens druglord Kenneth "SUPREME" Mc Griff and the alleged drug money laundering taking place. Also one of the things that many people believe motivated the FBI involvement was the Artist Union(or distribution co. depending on who you talk to) that was being built by Irv Gotti,Rap-A-Lot Records owner J-Prince, and the infamous Death Row Records owner Suge Knight. If the union had succeeded it very well could have changed the way label and artist negotiate situations forever. A move like this would have been bad for Corporate America. But its just speculation.
The beef grew in to a full on all out war between The Source's Benzino and Murder Inc. Vs Shady Records and Aftermath Records. The goal of this beef was clear: PUT THE COMPETITION OUT OF BUSINESS. The eventual winner of this war was Shady/Aftermath.But then a funny irony happened one of the major things 50 attacked Ja for was his radio-friendly sing-songy hooks and pop-oriented songs (Which was Ja Rule's bread and butter) but after Murder Inc. was successfully moved out the way. Fans criticized 50 for DOING THE EXACT SAME THING.
Things have quieted down over the past few years 50 CENT has had a great run from selling crack between label contracts and being shot in the face to being an international superstar with money to burn. But that doesn't necessarily mean Ja Rule completely dead and gone or that he should be. In the trend of album sequels he recently released PAIN IS LOVE2 (PIL2) In the early 2000's he had a string of undeniable consecutive hits. That he has proved on his recent release he is still very capable of making those hits. And to the crabs that still wanna bring up AND TAKE SIDES on this beef. You do realize that this altercation is almost 10 years old and you don't profit from it in any way…….srsly knock that shit off.
I'm just happy to be hearing good quality music from Ja after so long. I was very much hoping to see a revival of his career obviously not to the level he once had but a solid return . But with PIL2 only selling 3200 copies in its first week and a possible 4 year prision sentence, its very saddening to see that the reality is this could be the last gasp of air on Ja's career... Kinda Sucks.
JA RULE- REAL LIFE FANTASY
JA RULE-BELIEVE
JA RULE-BLACK VODKA
