It's become relatively easy to reduce Ja Rule to a punchline, given a variety of unfortunate factors. His involvement in the notoriously doomed Fyre Festival for one, which left him looking like a patsy at best, a criminal at worst. And lest we forget, his legendary beef with 50 Cent, Eminem, and their legions of loyal fans did him no favors, despite putting up a valiant fight with "Loose Change." And yet, there was once a time in which Ja Rule reigned supreme, drawn from the same draft class as fellow New Yorkers Jay-Z and DMX; in fact, the trio were once rumored to form a supergroup, but that's a tale for another day.
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Sadly, Ja's post Pain Is Love (which recently celebrated its birthday on October 2nd) output never quite reached the successes of his first three. Yet you can't keep a good man down, especially a wily veteran like Rule. In the midst of reigniting his feud with "sworn enemy" 50 Cent, Ja has been moonlighting in the studio, a process that has ultimately borne fruit. Behold 12.Twelve.XII, Ja's upcoming studio album, which is set to arrive on December 12th - with the holiday season right around the corner.
Set to arrive via his ICONNic sound imprint, Ja's eighth studio album may very well feel like a Murder Inc revival. Especially if he reunites with Ashanti and Irv Gotti. Jokes aside, have you any love in your heart for Ja Rule?
