Ja Rule

He married Aisha Murray in 2001 and the couple has three children.

His professional life has always been marred by controversies. He was involved in much publicized feuds with rappers 50 Cent and Eminem. He also has had brushes with law for tax evasion and drug possession.

Ja Rule was born in the Queens borough of New York City. He was raised by his mother Debra Atkins and his grandparents. His mother was a devout Jehovah’s Witness and raised him in the faith.

He went to Public School 134 where he was often picked up for fights by his schoolmates because of his small size. Tired of the bullying, his mother shifted him to Middle School 172.

He loved music from a young age and always dreamt of becoming a musician. He began writing songs from 1990 onwards.

He became known by the name of Ja Rule while in high school - a nickname his friends had given him.

He formed the classic hip hop group Cash Money Click along with two friends in 1993 and released some singles in 1995. Their music attracted some attention, but the group could not make it big as one of the partners had a brush with the law and was imprisoned.

Irv Gotti, an acquaintance of Ja rule who worked for Def Jam Records, helped him sign a contract with the label in 1998. He featured on the single ‘Can I Get A …’ on Jay-Z’s album which became an instant hit.

In 1999, he released his debut album, ‘Venni Vetti Vecci’ which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. It became a smash hit and was certified Platinum in the U.S. by the end of the year. The very next year he brought out ‘Rule 3:36’ which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The album eventually went Multi-Platinum.

In 2000, he also made his film debut with the hip hop drama ‘Turn it Up’. It was followed by minor roles in ‘Fast and the Furious’ (2001) and ‘Half Past Dead’ (2002).

His third studio album, ‘Pain is Love’ was released in 2001. It featured three top ten hit singles and became his most commercially successful album so far. It also topped the Billboard 200.

He became a pop sensation with his debut album ‘Venni Vetti Vecci’ (1999) which featured the super hit single ‘Holla Holla’. The album went Platinum in the U.S within a few months.

His second album ‘Rule 3:36’ (2000) spawned the big time hit ‘Between Me and You’. It peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and was accredited Multi-Platinum in the U.S and Platinum in Canada.

‘Pain is Love’ (2001) was his most commercially successful album. It featured the hit songs ‘Livin It Up’ and ‘Always on Time’. It went Multi-Platinum and was nominated for the Grammy for Best Rap Album.