Ja Rule

Today In Hip Hop History: Ja Rule Dropped His ‘Venni Vetti Vecci’ Album 23 Years Ago

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On this day in Hip Hop history, Queens rapper Ja Rule released his debut LP Venni Vetti Vicci. As the first release ofrom Irv Gotti‘s Murder Inc. record label, this project carried a lot of weight on its shoulders as the breakthrough for not only Ja Rule’s career but the career and integrity of Murder Inc Records as a whole.

Fortunately enough, the album was a hit and launched Ja Rule and Murder Inc. up among the ranks of some of New York’s most respected and successful rappers. Ja Rule’s force, style, and energy blended perfectly with and help grow the popularity of the East Coast hardcore movement that was taking place in the late 90s and early 2000s.

The mix of high energy, club jam production and hardcore gangster lyricism is what made this album so appealing. Although it could be said that Ja Rule wasn’t the greatest with the pen, the party appeal of this project kept it flying off the shelves in record stores across the country. The album’s commercial reception was more than any one could ask for a debut album peaking at #1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop chart and #3 on the Billboard 200 chart all while going platinum in the year of its release.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Ja Rule Dropped His ‘Venni Vetti Vecci’ Album 23 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip Hop History: Ja Rule Dropped His ‘Venni Vetti Vecci’ Album 23 Years Ago

by
tumblr c23585bdab347f803d8857e8f0f257b0 0b5587ea 1280

On this day in Hip Hop history, Queens rapper Ja Rule released his debut LP Venni Vetti Vicci. As the first release ofrom Irv Gotti‘s Murder Inc. record label, this project carried a lot of weight on its shoulders as the breakthrough for not only Ja Rule’s career but the career and integrity of Murder Inc Records as a whole.

Fortunately enough, the album was a hit and launched Ja Rule and Murder Inc. up among the ranks of some of New York’s most respected and successful rappers. Ja Rule’s force, style, and energy blended perfectly with and help grow the popularity of the East Coast hardcore movement that was taking place in the late 90s and early 2000s.

The mix of high energy, club jam production and hardcore gangster lyricism is what made this album so appealing. Although it could be said that Ja Rule wasn’t the greatest with the pen, the party appeal of this project kept it flying off the shelves in record stores across the country. The album’s commercial reception was more than any one could ask for a debut album peaking at #1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop chart and #3 on the Billboard 200 chart all while going platinum in the year of its release.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Ja Rule Dropped His ‘Venni Vetti Vecci’ Album 23 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Ja Rule Wants More Women In The GOAT Conversation: ‘We Never Put Ladies In There’

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Apparently, the new version of hip-hop’s beloved “top five rappers” debate is the “rap Mount Rushmore” question. Basically, which four rappers would be on your personal Mount Rushmore? It’s a fun hypothetical because not only does it narrow the field, forcing commenters to be even more intentional with their picks, it also comes with a silly visual. Just image Future replacing Teddy Roosevelt or something. Hilarious!

During a recent interview with The Breakfast Club, Ja Rule was asked for his take on the rap Mount Rushmore conversation and offered some unconventional picks. He also had some insightful things to say about the debate itself, pointing out how difficult it can be to provide an answer, given how many different eras and styles of rap have come along since 1979.

He demonstrated that difficulty himself; after nailing his first three — Jay-Z, Tupac, and The Notorious B.I.G. — he struggled with the fourth spot, naming a few possibilities. “Either Big Daddy Kane, or Rakim, or [KRS One] because of what they did for the culture and what they meant to the culture,” he posited, before throwing out a curveball. “We never put the ladies in there… MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Salt-N-Pepa.”

“They’re the reason other women picked up a microphone, period,” he explained. “How can you leave them off? You gotta [pick] one of them and put them on there.” He’s right; the current surge of female talent at the forefront of rap in pop culture today is built at least partially on the foundations laid by the original first ladies of rap. They may get overlooked — something that isn’t uncommon even for today’s stars — but their contributions are as critical to rap’s dominance as anyone’s.

You can watch the full interview above.

Raekwon and Ghostface Killah Kick-off Ja Rule’s ‘VIBES’ Concert Series with ‘The Purple Tape’ Live Band Performance

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Raekwon Ghostface Sony Hall

On Monday night (April 11), a classic hip-hop album showcased its bind to longevity. Wu-Tang Clan legends Raekwon and Ghostface Killah took to the stage of Sony Hall in New York City and performed an array of hits from the Chef’s classic solo debut album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, also known as The Purple Tape, with a band in live form.

The ensemble included two electric guitar players, two keyboard players, and one drummer. Aside from the two iconic emcees, there was another vocalist who carried out the majestic harmonies of the album, as heard on “Can’t Be All So Simple (Remix)” and “Rainy Dayz,” Bobbi Storm. Together, the troupe fervidly enacted a symphonic expression of The Purple Tape, a spin in favor of the era-defining album’s reigning legacy as a game-changer.

The Purple Tape, or Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, is among the pioneering works for narrative mafioso rap and ultimately catapulted the style into a subgenre of hip-hop. Nearly three decades later, the Chef remains in awe at the album’s well-known repertoire but, in solid humility, commemorates the gem, representing a defining period.

“When I did that album, I felt personally that it was something great, but the commemoration that its given is undeniably awkward to me because I’m just a kid from the street that tried to do something that I felt was genuine to me, and the world looked at it as a blessing.”

The performance is a part of Ja Rule’s VIBES Concert Series, where artists tailor a routine after their journeys in a storytelling fashion. Raekwon and Ghostface Killah’s concert was the first to kick off the series as the experience plans to take on a roster of class acts. The event was streamed exclusively on the ICONN LIVE app.

The post Raekwon and Ghostface Killah Kick-off Ja Rule’s ‘VIBES’ Concert Series with ‘The Purple Tape’ Live Band Performance appeared first on The Source.

Ja Rule Resurfaces With A Will Smith Slap Reaction After Fans Invoke Dave Chappelle’s Infamous Joke

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The monoculture is dead — or at least dying — so culture-spanning moments that unite the whole world in awe, outrage, or hilarity are rare. Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars certainly qualifies; look at us, still discussing this thing two days later, even with our pandemic-shortened attention spans. And whenever there’s such a moment that demands our attention (and our takes), one question arises to loom over the proceedings, a question that demands an answer, no matter how solemn, silly, irreverent, or irrelevant.

“WHERE’S JA!?”

That’s right. Ever since the joke was first uttered by Dave Chappelle during his 2004 special For What It’s Worth, it has become inevitable that when a current event has the world’s attention, people want — nay, need — to know what rapper Ja Rule is thinking. The bit, centered around the absurdity of an MTV News segment that cut away from September 11 attack coverage to get Ja Rule’s take, has since become an ingrained meme on social media. So, when Will Smith stomped his way on stage and shocked the world, there was just one thing fans wanted to know.

Fortunately, we can all breathe easily again. Ja, who knows his role in all of this, was more than game to oblige our curiosity, joking on Twitter that “Slapping season is OFFICIALLY in session.” A day later, he followed up with a countdown to “All rappers wit the Will slap Rock bars.”

Thanks, Ja Rule. You’re not always there when we call, but you’re always on time.