Known for his innovative rap style that married hip hop and R&B seamlessly, Ja Rule is a man that is long overdue for receiving his flowers.
But with great success often comes great responsibility, and despite setbacks, Ja’s vision and dedication to his craft have seen him through.
Ja Rule Steps Into The Shade Room… Speaks On Past Beefs, Nicki Minaj, And More
Now, he’s Stepping Into The Shade Room to talk about his journey, including what it was like being a part of Murder Inc. Records, his feud with 50 Cent, his life as an entrepreneur, and more.
Ja discussed his legacy as an artist in pioneering the rap-R&B genre and how that genre has grown in the years since.
He talked past beefs–most notably with 50 Cent at the height of the Murder Inc. While speaking to SITSR host Thembi, he appeared open-minded about reconciliation with 50.
Ja said it disheartens him to see Black artists beefing, adding, “Maybe I got a little too much MLK in me.”
“Life is short, I think these things can be mended,” Ja Rule told Thembi. “Maybe I got a little too much MLK in me, but especially amongst Black people, I don’t like to see us beefing, that’s clown s*** to me.”
Ja Rule Speaks About ‘Nicki’s Place In The Game’
Ja made waves on social media after telling The Shade Room that there were no real lyrical female rap artists for a while until Nicki Minaj came into the game and that she “re-opened that door” for more female artists.
“Her place in the game is solidified…in my opinion I would say Nicki re-opened that door.”
RELATED: Fat Joe States Ja Rule Was The Drake Of His Time: ‘You Was The Drake Before Drake’ (Video)
Ja Rule Speaks On Early 2000s And Hypocrisy Of Beef With 50 Cent
When asked about the early 2000s and his situation with 50 Cent, Ja chalked it up to being “such a weird time,” which exposed much hypocrisy in the rap game.
“That was such a weird time, you can’t just tell me: ‘don’t like him because he makes songs with females that sing. F*** him, that guy who’s songs I’ve been listening to for the last three summers. F*** him, I;m f*****g with you. Then they go around and do the same s*** you were doing and they love it!”
He continued: “They wanna love them for that for me. Mother*****s be back in middle school had to be thinking to themselves ‘something’s not right” listening to all that s***.”
Ja Says He Doesn’t Get Enough Credit For His Strength Throughout The Whole Murder Inc. Situation
Ja added that most people don’t credit him enough for surviving the Murder Inc. situation back in the early 2000s–let alone thriving. He spoke on the “feds trying to put his people away for 20 years,” his “parent company dropping him from his label,” and all the “top rappers in the game (are) coming at him.”
“I feel like people should really be talking about (my strength) in this situation. Put yourselves in my shoes and ask yourselves, ‘would you still be here?’ Would you still be standing strong and smiling? Feds is trying to put your people away for 20 years. Your parent company drops your label because of this and you got all the top rappers in the game coming at you.”
