In his 2004 special "For What It's Worth," Dave Chappelle recalls watching MTV shortly after 9/11: the hosts dial up Ja Rule to get his take on the tragedy.
"Who gives a fuck what Ja Rule thinks at a time like this?" Chappelle said incredulously. "This is ridiculous. I don’t want to dance. I’m scared to death. I want some answers that Ja Rule might not have right now. You think when bad shit happens to me, I’ll be in the crib like, 'Oh! My God, this is terrible. Could somebody please find Ja Rule? Get hold of this motherfucker, so I can make sense of all this. Where is Ja??? Help me Ja Rule!!"
Where is Ja??? Chappelle's bit speaks to Ja's ubiquity in the early 2000s, an era when he teamed up with Ashanti, Jennifer Lopez, Fat Joe for a seemingly endless parade of hits. Click through the image gallery to revisit 10 of Ja's biggest songs from 2000 to 2004.
"Put It On Me" feat. Lil Mo & Vita (2000)
"Put It On Me" was one of the first songs to introduce Ja's charismatic growl to the masses. It appeared on Rule 3:36, an album title that references John 3:36: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him.”
Ja's reinterpretation: “He who believes in Ja shall have everlasting love. He who does not shall not see life, but the wrath of my vengeance... Pain is love."
"Livin' It Up" (2001)
"Livin' It Up" resides at the heart of Ja's signature album Pain Is Love. The song was so popular that, according to one popular parody video floating somewhere in the digital ether, people who grew up on Ja listen to Stevie Wonder's "Do I Do" and wait for Ja to come in. It never happens.
Keep one eye peeled for cameos from point guard Baron Davis and porn star Sunny Leone.
"Always On Time" feat. Ashanti (2001)
As a youngster, I was privy to the music of Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Blink-182, and little else. Then, one day in 5th grade, I heard the irresistible guitar loop of "Always On Time" blasting through the speakers and understood the meaning of life for the first time.
"Down Ass Bitch" feat. Charlie Baltimore (2001)
Ja dedicated "Down Ass Bitch" to his wife Aisha, to whom he has been married since 2001. "She’s been down with me through thick and thin," he told Complex. "When I didn’t have shit to me being fucking super rich and living a great lifestyle, through my beef shit, me going through my prison term. She’s been with me through everything. That’s my better half."
Jennifer Lopez - "I'm Real" (Murder Remix) feat. Ja Rule (2001)
"WHAT'S MY MOTHAFUCKIN' NAME???"
Within two seconds, Ja makes it clear who is the true star of J Lo's "I'm Real" MURDER Remix. They share a nice chemistry due in part to the diametric opposition of their vocal styles: Lopez's soft warble blends in seamlessly with the flute-driven production, and Ja's romantic snarl cuts right through, like a bear's mighty claw through delicate flesh.
Fat Joe - "What's Luv" feat. Ashanti & Ja Rule (2002)
"What's Luv" has probably aged better than any song in the Ja Rule catalogue. Still in 2017, it has the power to make any dude stewing in silence on the periphery of a party want to get jiggy in the center of the dance floor.
"Mesmerize" feat. Ashanti (2002)
As anyone who has watched the Lil Wayne documentary "The Carter" knows, hotel rooms are wellsprings of creativity. According to Ja, he came up with the "Mesmerize" hook while chilling in a hotel with Irv Gotti and listening to the Isley Brothers. Can you hear the Isley influence?
Jennifer Lopez - "Ain't It Funny" (Murder Remix) feat. Ja Rule & Cadillac Tah (2002)
It's unclear who currently wears the Greatest Ass in the World crown. In the early '00s, the undisputed ass champion was Jennifer Lopez. As such the first line of "Ain't It Funny" is "It must be the ass."
"I thought that would catch people’s attention because, at the time, everybody was making a big deal about her ass but nobody wanted to say it," he explained to Complex. "Me saying it was a shock, like, ‘Oh shit, he just said that.’ That’s what music’s about: the wow factor, the shock factor. It was catchy because it was a play on [Craig Mack’s] ‘Flava in Ya Ear.’ It all just worked.”
"Wonderful" feat. R Kelly & Ashanti (2004)
R.U.L.E. single "Wonderful" questions the value of love to a man or woman who has money and fame, nothing more to gain and everything to lose. It's "Fake Love" circa 2004.
"New York" feat. Fat Joe & Jadakiss (2004)
By 2004, Ja was fully immersed in a hot beef with 50 Cent, but that didn't stop him from teaming up with Joe Crack and Jadakiss to create an earth-shattering New York anthem, appropriately titled "New York." By now, 50's star had long since eclipsed that of Ja, but Ja was determined to put on for his city. "New York" might be the last great song he ever put out.