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ON THE COUCH WITH: Ja Rule

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ARTIST INTERVIEW

It would be naïve to say 50's beef didn't hurt Ja (although Ja Rule wont admit it). Financially, at least, Ja Rule's previous album 'Blood in My Eye' was his only album that didn't sell over a million copies worldwide. But while 50 was calling out Ja for singing on hooks, not being a 'real' thug and making music for women, 50 started showing his real colors too. What was 50 doing on the hook of 'Magic Stick'? Singing! And do 'real' thugs really need all that security and bulletproof vests? Even when touring in Australia, a country with very little street gangs and even fewer 50 cent haters?

Ja Rule spoke out (remember that interview with Farrakhan?) but people weren't hearing it. The boiling point was Hot 97's most recent Summer Jam, where 50 cent got booed off stage by a 10,000 strong audience. Although people were already convinced that Ja Rule was a fake, incidents after that have proved 50 Cent is not really much better. So where does that leave us now?

With the new album R.U.L.E, Ja returns to his classic formula that made him such a force in the game. The new single 'Wonderful' is already a smash, with Ashanti and R.Kelly helping Ja add another one to his hit list. And it doesn't stop there. As a rapper, street cred is just as important as going platinum. So Ja has that covered too. 'New York, New York' featuring Jadakiss and Fat Joe is already a DJ favorite and has everyone whispering 'Ja's back'. Ja Rule, on the other hand, disagrees…. 'I never left in the first place'.

New York, New York is hot…
Ja: Yeah we gotta alot of street cuts like that on the album...

I read in an interview that you started off rolling with the Cash Money click…
Ja: Which Cash Money? Baby and them? No it was a different group. That's how I got my start. I was like 17.

How old are you now?
Ja: 28

The 90's in Queens…how was it coming up in the game back then?
Ja: You know. Every urban story. Every rapper's story. As real as it is, as funny as it may sound, the reality of it is I hustled. And got arrested for it. I'm happy to be able to be doing something positive where it doesn't have to be about that. But it was hard coming up…

Despite what people may think of you, you've managed to come up in the game and sell over 10 million albums. There are a lot of people out there trying to do their thing. What advice would you give to them?
Ja: I mean you know, this game is a hustle. It's a struggle. Stay focused, stay grounded. Keep the suckers off. There are a lot of fake people out there. You gotta be able to weave through that and I've kept my ground on that through the years.

Despite all your accomplishments the industry still focuses on beef. Does that make you mad? I mean, a club in Australia can play Ja Rule hits all night and it would still be bangin…
Ja: You know what it is? People know my sh*t is hot. Nobody is denying that my sh*t is hot. The whole bullshit beef sh*t that I went through, it's all people talking bullsh*t, propaganda sh*t and people wanting to ride with it cause I was so big. It was fun for them to say 'Fu*k Ja Rule' and now it's funny to say 'Fu*k 50'. It's funny like that when you're in this business. But you know, I understand who I am. I am solid and true to who I am. I'm never trying to be nobody that I'm not. You know I've never put on bullet proof vest and ran around and said that I'd kill 40 000 people and all that sh*t…. I made music for the public all throughout my career. You know, made my street records, made my records for the ladies. I'm a real nigga. I stepped outside the barrier and did things that other artists were scared to do. You know, people were scared to make records for the ladies and shit, because it affects their image…

But it's always on their album…
Ja: Exactly. You can't be one way everyday, you know what I mean? I'm one of those artists that's not afraid to show that I'm in love with my wife or that I like to go to the club, have drinks and party. It is what it is …. Nobody is going to disrespect me. I'm a man and nobody is going to come to my face and disrespect me. Nobody's going to disrespect me on record. So it's like whatever people want to say… it's all talk (anyway).

Tell us about the new album…
Ja: The new album is hot. There's a lot of fun stuff…

Yeah, it kinda goes back to your original sound…
Ja: Yeah … 'Passion' is a fun record….Lots of different stories. But there are real serious records on there too like 'Life Goes On'…

You've always had a good mix of club bangers and street tracks...
Ja: Because that's the way I feel. It's who I am. I like to party. I hang with all my niggas. We all from the hood. I make the records for the women cause I love women. (Laughs) I have fun making my albums.

Do you remember your time in Australia?
Ja: Yes, I had a great time in Australia…(cheeky grin)

Well there was an incident in Australia (no more cheeky grin). I don't know if you remember but a DJ in Adelaide played a 50 record, you got angry and smashed it. A lot of bad press followed. I wanted to give you the chance to clear it up and speak to your Australian fans…
Ja: Well you know everything that I do seems to disappoint people…

Come on Ja, that's not true….
Ja: Nah Nah let me explain. I'm a man and I get I frustrated like anybody else gets frustrated you know what I mean? It was a party for me and he goes into the biggest G-Unit medley that I've ever heard in my life! I'm not one to get mad at sh*t like that but respect the fact that I'm in building and I'm partying with y'all and me and that dude got beef. So now that people gonna be looking at me like "oh shit he buggin you Ja", you know what I'm saying? That's not cool when I'm here showing love, representing and they not…you understand? If he (50 cent) was in the building would you play all the Ja Rule records?

You could have left the club…
Ja: It's my party. I'm not going to leave my party.
Ja (continues): Let me explain something to you. I know when people are trying to be disrespectful and I know when people are trying to be funny and disrespectful. And (I know) when people are playing a 50 record cause it's hot. I know the difference, I'm not stupid. And either is the DJ, even if he wants to act stupid "Oh yeah I'm playing cause it's hot". Yeah right, you know you aint…come on now?
People want to antagonize artists. They do it to him (50) too…at concerts they saying 'Fu*k You' 'It's Murda' (Well, I'm not sure about that but whatever you say Ja) throwing chairs at them at the Summer Jam…fans love to see artists get antagonized. So they know how to poke and pinch our nerves…

It's not the fans though…it's a few people… a few haters...
Ja: Yeah, it wasn't the fans in that instance. It was the DJ who wanted to antagonize Ja Rule.

Ok you have a point, if it was someone else they wouldn't take it either, so why should you…
Ja: Exactly, why should I? And then they want to say "Ja Ja you should take the higher road" Why?

Ok so what do you want to say to your Australian fans?
Ja: I looooovvveeee my Australian fans!! (Smiling again) I'll be coming back out there to chill with y'all, party with y'all, do some shows….

You came up with a lot of rappers, for example: Jay Z, DMX. But after everything you've been through, you never seem to be around these artists… do you feel like your supported by the industry or you don't?
Ja: Yeah ofcourse. Why wouldn't I be? I don't know what you all see (the public)… I haven't done anything with Jigga or DMX since my first album. It's not like we have beef. Me and D (DMX) don't get along…. You know what I'm saying? We ain't doin no records…so I don't get that question…

Those were examples. I meant in terms of the industry as a whole…
Ja: I got a record with Mary J Blige, I got a record with R.Kelly. I was just on the Chocolate Factory record with R.Kelly.. You know Fat Joe, Jadakiss… I mean I could name names… got a track with Trick Daddy… come on..

From a public point of view it looks likes no one is checking for Ja Rule.
Ja: I don't see that. (or maybe he chooses not to see it but that's cool) I just wrote a Ruben Studdard for his record…

I guess there's a lot that the public don't see…
Ja: Yeah. I get a lot of calls to work people on their records. So I don't get that…The only thing the public see is who is beefing in the industry…Everyone is always stuck on beef…

I know…
Ja: 50 has beef with everybody.. (who said anything about 50? But if that's what's on your mind, then we'll talk about it!)

Well he just dissed Nas I hear….
Ja: He is the fakest dude in the industry. You know what I'm saying? But time will show that…I'm not worried about it.

Im glad to hear that. Thanks.
Ja: Thank you sweety.

Interview by Ashlene (www.ashleneonline.com) for Urban Hitz Magazine.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

He is the first of his kind. Originally, Ja Rule seemed to be just another MC. Some knew the potential, but few believed. Two platinum albums later, hip-hop anxiously anticipates any song Ja Rule pours his vocals on top of. He has carved his own niche in hip-hop, and can’t be duplicated. Ja Rule is so much more than a rapper. He is an all-around hip-hop artist. A talented songwriter, potential movie superstar, and musical sensation, Ja Rule has quickly become hip-hop’s top contender. His third album Pain Is Love revisits the formula that transformed Ja from a skilled lyricist into a Songwriting genius.
“Sometimes when you get into your music, you wanna harmonize, because it goes better with the track. I do with the song calls for. My voice is another instrument over the track,” Ja Rule offers. On “Livin’ It Up,” Ja Rule dedicates three verses to having a good time. With Case crooning on the chorus a la Stevie Wonder’s “Do I Do,” Ja rides up and down the Irv Gotti-produced track in true Murder Inc. fashion. “Livin’ it up is a good night out on the town, having some fun, that’s what it’s about.”

Keeping in line with the album’s feel, “Always On Time” (feat. Ashanti) is a mid-tempo gem where Ja impresses the ladies. Ja Rule explains, “The music is just coming from my heart. This album is a lot more passionate. I dealt with life issues, straight up. It’s much more personal.” The song flows perfectly into the track that follows, “Down A** B**ch,” a classic rap love song, featuring Charli Baltimore, that defends the idea that every thug needs a lady. Mastering the collaboration, Ja duets alongside Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott for “X,” only one of the album’s highlights. Ja was “ecstatic” about recording the song, “Missy is a lot of fun to work with. She’s a really sweet person.” Pain Is Love also features the smash hit single with J-Lo “I’m Real (Murder Remix).”

Though Ja’s signature rap-meets-rhythm sound is constant throughout, he hasn’t abandoned the hardcore rhyme style that paved the way for his success. He sets off the musical murder with “Dial M for Murder,” a track that shows Ja in his rawest form. Lyrically, Ja Rule’s hardcore realism breathes life into each track. His emotions run rampant, and his passion is evident. “I got it tattooed over my heart. Pain Is Love is about sacrifice. It’s about all the pains and heartaches you’ll go through,” Ja says of his album title. With pain as the overall theme, it’s fitting that the album features 2Pac on “So Much Pain.” Ja Rule remembers, “The song is a dedication to both Pac and Stretch. A lot of people make the comparison between Pac and I because they feel the passion of my music like they felt the passion in his.”

Setting himself apart from other hip-hop artists, Ja’s originality in the game has elevated rap music to new heights. “I stepped into my own lane, and I’m setting standards in how things are done. I think artists that are going to have to fall into it, that’s just the way it goes.” With a promising film career ahead of him, Ja Rule realizes his contribution to hip-hop. As the father of two young children, a son and a daughter, Ja Rule is wasting no time. Though he has plans to do more than just rap, he will never fully abandon the creative process of making music. “I think I’m gonna retire after two more albums. I think I’m gonna be the first Rapper to really retire. I don’t want to stop making music because I love to make music. But I want to retire from the actual job of being an artist. I want to be able to star in movies and do soundtracks just because I love to do it!”

www.jarule.com

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MY FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE

My Festival Experience
Mental As Anything

It's a pretty horrible one actually. On the Australian Made Tour in, it was about 87' - 88'. There was us, there was Barnsey (Jimmy Barnes), The Models, The Divinyls. You know it was a really fun tour actually, and we were sharing a brass section with The Models and the guy... One of the brass players he was fairly frail, he was quite young and he had a pacemaker and he actually collapsed and died during our set which was rather disturbing. It would be the most memorable but, only because it was so unpleasant. I would have to say that one sticks out for me.

What's your ideal festival line-up?
Gee, that's a hard one. It's pretty good these day's they have guys like Neil Young coming out, and it's good. It shouldn't be a real generational thing. There are still a lot of good musicians that have inspired a lot of the younger bands and I think that it's nice that they put these guys on the bill. It's an economic thing, obviously a lot of people want to see them but, I think it's also good for the younger people to see where a lot of this kinda stuff came from in the first place. I think the bills are pretty good actually.

Also, with the older bands and artists playing at shows it's a big thing for the younger ones because they have been inspired by that performer and seeing them play and being able to play along aside them is a big kick.
Yeah, I think it's great and as long as they can still cut the mustard, I've heard that on some occasions they have been a bit disappointing but, they really have got there acts together these guys if they are still doing it. It's pretty obvious when they aren't. I sort of jokingly say "I'm getting the hang of it now", because I sort of am really, It's taken awhile but, you kinda have to be a bit more professional as you get older about doing it because, you need to be. It's amusing to see the 20yr old guys staggering around drunk on stage, that's kinda entertaining. But, when you get older it's not such a good look. You need to start thinking about being a bit more professional and getting your act together a bit.

The fall of the aging rock star.
Haha Yeah, that's your job. If you want to keep doing it you need to stay reasonably healthy. I swim, I try and swim some laps everyday. That's how I occupy myself on tour. I've got to find out where the pool is otherwise I get a bit twitchy if I don't get to do my laps every day. You start to realize if you don't have your health you don't have anything. It's true of anybody but, particularly for entertainers if you let yourself go, your in trouble.

What's your most favourite artist you have seen at a festival?
I would have to say Roy Orbison. I saw him only a couple of year's before he died. I couldn't believe it. He had already had the open heart surgery and, he had a shocking life the poor guy. He's always been a hero of mine. I actually got to see him, which was a big thrill.

What are your tips for attending a festival?
I don't know. My kids are going to them kind of regularly and they seem to have a good time. I think the main thing is you need to get in early if you want to get ticket's to these things, because they seem to sell out really fast. They are really popular and just enjoy them.