While 2002's The Last Temptation yielded hits like "Thug Lovin'" and "Mesmerize," Ja's beef with 50 Cent did irreparable damage to his career, as 50's unrelenting attacks made a mockery of Ja and the Murder Inc. 2000's Rule 3:36 featured several huge hits, while his 2001 LP Pain Is Love sported radio-ready singles like "I'm Real" and "Always On Time," furthering his success as a platinum player. The song was released from the compilation album, Irv Gotti Presents: The Inc. On his second album, Rule 3:36 (2000), he began collaborating with female R&B singers, and a string of. He is alternately gruff and mellow, spitting semi-shouted and smooth rhymes backed by bouncy, club-oriented production from Irv Gotti. In 2002, 'Down 4 U' by Irv Gotti featuring Ashanti, Ja Rule, Charli Baltimore and Vita reached number three on the Billboard R&B chart and number six on the Hot 100. 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. A gravel-throated emcee hailing from Queens, Ja Rule has been receiving attention since his verse on Jay-Z's "Can I Get A." His debut album Venni Vetti Vecci dropped in 1999, powered by the runaway smash "Holla Holla," which flooded the airwaves and had legions of listeners exclaiming "it's murdaaaa!" A hit-making machine, he mastered the art of the crossover, coming with both roughneck homicide stories and R&B love jams alike.