Ja Rule is an American rapper and actor. Born in Hollis, Queens, he debuted in 1999 with Venni Vetti Vecci and its lead single “Holla Holla”. During the 2000s, Ja Rule was signed to Murder Inc., formerly known as The Inc. and led by Irv Gotti.
From 1999 to 2005, Ja Rule had multiple hits that made the top 20 of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, including “Between Me and You” (featuring Christina Milian), “I’m Real (Murder Remix)” and “Ain’t It Funny” (both with Jennifer Lopez)—which both topped the Hot 100—the number 1 hit “Always on Time” (featuring Ashanti), “Mesmerize” (featuring Ashanti), and “Wonderful” (featuring R. Kelly and Ashanti).
Ja Rule was born Jeffrey Bruce Atkins on February 29, 1976, to Debra and Will in Hollis, a section of the Queens borough of New York City. Jeffrey’s father left the family when he was very young.
Atkins was raised as an only child, as his younger sister, Kristen, died in the womb when Atkins was 5. His mother, Debra, was a healthcare worker, and due to the amount of time she spent working, Atkins was largely raised by his grandparents as a Jehovah’s Witness.
Atkins’ mother left the Jehovah’s Witness religion when he was 12 Soon after, Atkins began selling drugs in Hollis.
Atkins began his rap career in 1994 with the hip hop group Cash Money Click alongside members Chris Black and O-1. He took the stage name “Ja Rule”, telling MTV News that the name came from a friend who addressed him by that name; other friends simply called him “Ja”. Together they worked with producer DJ Irv to produce a number of songs, releasing their debut single “Get Tha Fortune” independently in 1994.
Full Name: Jeffrey Bruce Atkins
Date of Birth: February 29, 1976
Age: 45
Birth Place: Queens, New York, United States
Nationality: American
Profession: American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor from Queens, New York
Networth: $10 million
Personal Life:
For his marriage, Ja Rule has been married to Aisha Fatima Atkins since 2001. Ja Rule and Aisha are the parents of 1 daughter and two sons, Britney Atkins was born in 1995, Jordan Atkins was born in 2004, and Jeffrey Atkins Jr. was born in 2000.
Ja Rule has been facing many legal issues for a while. He was sent to prison for weapon possession and tax evasion. Recently, Ja Rule faced several lawsuits because of the failed Fyre Festival, but his partner Billy McFarland probably holds the responsibility for that.
Awards:
The rapper Ja Rule has been receiving many great awards. He won the Source Hip-Hop Music Award for Single of the Year “Put It on Me”, MTV Video Music Award for Best Hip Hop Video “I’m Real (Murder Remix)”, MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video “Can I Get A…”, and others.
Ja Rule was nominated for 4 Grammy awards, and he won the World Music Award for World’s Best Selling Rap Artist, BET Award for Best Male Hip-Hop Artist, Teen Choice Award for Male Artist of the Year and other awards.