Beef has been a key element in hip-hop since rival dance crews settled their issues on cardboard boxes and hardwood floors in the b-boy days. In the eyes of many rap fans, 50 Cent's destruction of Ja Rule is similar to Larry Holmes battering of the late Muhammad Ali - a one-sided onslaught that went on much longer than necessary. From what started as a quarrel between artists from the same area formed into one of the most infamous feuds in entertainment. 50 Cent used a personal issue to catapult his career, from his first commercial hit "Wanksta", continuing to kick Ja while he was down long after the fight was over in the public eye. Although Ja's career suffered a deadly setback from the beef and the subsequent legal matters that ensued,the music that he left behind is timeless. No matter how much you were programmed by the countless 50 Cent diss songs in the mid 2000's to turn your back on Ja Rule, he more than made the most of his time at the top, leaving us with a plethora of music that makes it hard to understand why we turned our back on him in the first place.
After all, Ja Rule was the hottest thing since slice bread for a good four years (1999-2003), competing with Jay-Z, Ludacris, Eminem and Nelly for the crown. While Drake gets all the credit for being a rapper slash crooner, Ja was the first to belt out tunes on tracks, managing to seduce the ladies while making music the thugs could nod their head to. The same style that 50 tormented Ja for before taking it for himself, has subsequently been used by every artist you can name since. In order to understand the impact Ja had on the game, you need to think back to nearly two decades ago.
Ja Rule's formal introduction to the music industry was the Cash Money Click, a group that failed to duplicate the success of it's fellow Queens comrades. At the time between 1994-96 when the trio was pushing their singles "4 My Click" and "Get Tha Fortune", Southside Queens groups like Mobb Deep, Onyx and Lost Boyz were soaring up the charts.
The Cash Money Click was tight with Mic Geronimo, a Queens MC who enjoyed moderate success behind his 1995 single Sh*t's Real". Geronimo's 1995 album The Natural featured Ja Rule, Jay-Z and DMX on the track "Time To Build". At the time, Geronimo was the biggest success out of the four emcees and after the collaboration Ja Rule built a bond with the two future legends.
Fast forward two years, DMX and Jay-Z are gridlocked for hottest artist in the rap game, and both artists show their love for Ja by giving him major features. DMX's "Grand Finale" features Ja alongside Method Man and Nas off of 1998's Belly Soundtrack, the first of many singles Ja would take partake in to shoot up the Billboard Charts. But it's Jay-Z's "Can I Get A" feature that year that thrusts Ja into the spotlight, as the single went Gold and is included on Jay's Vol 2: Hard Knock Life album and Rush Hour Soundtrack.
It was time for Ja's formal introduction to the world as a solo artist, and 1999's Venni Vetti Vecci was a commercial and critically acclaimed hit behind the hit single "Holla Holla". Meanwhile, Ja continued to collaborate with Jay and DMX, and in 1999 the trio appeared on XXL Magazine's June 1999 cover as Murder INC.
Although the trio never collaborated for an album, they did work together on several projects,enough to tithe over salivating fans. At the time, arguably the three hottest rappers in the game, the group was equivalent to the Golden State Warriors newest acquisition Kevin Durant joining Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
At the turn of the century, Jay-Z and DMX's relationship would sour, and expectations for the group never panned out as planned. But 2000 was a monumental year for Ja as his sophomore release Rule 3:36 went Triple Platinum and spawned timeless hits like "Between Me and You", "Put It On Me" and "I Cry".
Meanwhile he put on his Murder Inc. team, introducing the world to Ashanti, Vita, Lil Mo and Charlie Baltimore to name a few. While these artists enjoyed solo success, Ja built on his fame with 2001's Pain Is Love, duplicating his previous success and spawning more timeless hit's that transcended hip-hop and R&B.
Ja tweaked the sound for 2002's The Last Temptation, fielding criticism from critics, fans and even rappers like his former friend DMX. While X claimed Ja was a 2pac knockoff, fans thought the album was too commercial, yet the project still went platinum. To his credit, Ja Rule collaborated with R&B legend Bobby Brown during a tumultuous period in Brown's life for the hit single "Thug Lovin".
By 2002, Ja could no longer keep the beef with 50 Cent under wraps, and 50 took every opportunity to diss the superstar. While the Murder Inc. opted to keep the street matter street, 50 had took off the gloves, and fans wanted a response. The events of the beef and history has written itself, but it's worth noting some key aspects of the beef.
After 50's acclaimed debut Get Rich Or Die Tryin' dropped in 2003, the tide instantly changed on Ja and even the people in his corner switched sides.Not to mention 50 had Eminem and his Aftermath and G-Unit comrades joining in the war at the peak of their careers. After things went sour with Murder Inc., Lil Mo publicly endorsed 50 on 106 & Park and 50 had collaborated with DMX on 2003's Grand Champ album. Facing the world, Ja responded with "Loose Change", one of the most underrated diss songs of all-time.
50, Eminem and Busta Rhymes responded with a reincarnation of 2pac's legendary "Hail Mary", bombing on Ja in what looked like the end.
Just when it looked like it was all over, Ja temporarily returned to grace with 2003's "Clap Back" and 2004's "New York" and "Wonderful".
Ja would eventually leave Def Jam in 2005 and efforts to find a label while Murder Inc. battled legal matters surrounding drug kingpin Kenneth "Supreme" Mcgriff only added to Ja's problems.
During all of this, 50 had adapted Ja's style, the same style he made fans hate Ja for using. Eventually 50, the artist, would take a backseat to 50, the businessman, while Ja released projects to poor sales before eventually going to prison.
Ja Rule wasn't the greatest lyricist and his passionate, raspy gnarl was reminiscent of 2pac and even DMX, but what he was is a pivotal artist in hip-hop. The sound he created is still being mimicked and the hits he left behind will continue to be played long after his demise.
In retrospect, everything came crashing down at once for Ja, from music to personal issues and we as a collective group turned on him. For approximately six years, we were rewarded with hits on hits, cohesive projects that anyone could relate to. Although 50's run at the top was monumental, it also left much to be desired, seeing as he knocked off essentially a hip-hop giant to get to the top.
One can only wish that someone could have gotten across to both sides but perhaps the damage done was irreconcilable. As with many things in life, you revel in the moment and harp on it in the long run.
Sorry Ja, we shouldn't have given up on you.
