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Ja Rule

Highest Rated: 62% Rush Hour (1998)

Lowest Rated: 0% Once Upon a Time in Brooklyn (2013)

Birthday: Feb 29, 1976

Birthplace: Queens, New York, USA

Ja Rule began his chart rule in the late '90s, as a rapper/producer who matched a hardcore sensibility with a surefire commercial touch. A Queens native, Rule (real name Jeffrey Bruce Atkins) worked early on with fellow hip-hop giants, cutting his first single, Mic Geronimo's "Time to Build," alongside fellow guests Jay-Z and DMX. His debut album 1999's Venni Vetti Vecci matched the established East Coast rappers for toughness and street smarts, selling platinum and hitting #3 on Billboard's Hot 100. While there were no softer tracks on the debut, the followup Rule 3:36 was a little more pop-friendly, including the first of his duets with female artists (Christina Milian on "Between Me and You", Li'l Mo on "I Cry"). Even the more characteristic "F--k You" turned out to have hit potential, once he reworked it under the title "Furious." He'd make a trademark out of the duets, and continue to mix his albums with hardcore tracks and R&B crossovers. 2001's Love is Pain was his most successful album with two Number One duet hits, "Always on Time" with Ashanti and a remix of "I'm Real" with Jennifer Lopez. He'd be all over the charts for the next two years, in the company of Bobby Brown ("Thug Lovin'"), Fat Joe ("What's Luv?"), Mary J. Blige ("Rainy Dayz") and again with Ashanti ("Mesmerize"). By now Rule was doing so well that somebody was bound to start dissing him-and 50 Cent did, not only dropping various insults at Ja Rule (claiming, for one thing, that he'd stolen Tupac Shakur's act) but getting his allies Eminem, Dr. Dre and Busta Rhymes to do the same. Ja Rule responded with Blood in My Eye, an all-hardcore album despite its lack of crossover tracks went Top 10-as did the followup, R.U.L.E., which brought back the mix of love songs and tougher material. Bigger trouble came in 2011, when he had a fallout with Universal Records and launched his own Mpire Music Group label; the album Pain is Love 2 fell prey to numerous delays and was the first flop of his career, only making it to #197 on the Billboard chart. Worse, he began a two-year prison sentence for gun possession and tax evasion. After his release in May 2013 he kept a relatively low profile, putting much of his energy into a reality TV show, Follow the Rules, that was co-produced by Queen Latifah and aired on MTV. The show was a mixed success at best and though a second season was teased, it never appeared. He also starred in an obscure movie, "I'm in Love With a Church Girl" (2014), that reflected his Christian faith. More successful was a further Ashanti duet, "Helpless," that appeared on The Hamilton Mixtape.

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Highest rated movies

62% 79% Rush Hour Watchlist
60% 48% Assault on Precinct 13
Watchlist
55% 74% The Fast and the Furious Watchlist
47% 57% Shall We Dance?
Watchlist
35% 54% Scary Movie 3 Watchlist
31% 74% Backstage
Watchlist
10% 64% I'm in Love With a Church Girl
Watchlist
10% 25% Turn It Up
Watchlist
5% 37% The Cookout
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3% 37% Half Past Dead
Watchlist

Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet 17% Trolland Fenn (Voice) - 2016
10% 64% I'm in Love With a Church Girl MIles Montego (Character) $2.4M 2013
0% 17% Once Upon a Time in Brooklyn Willie Davis (Character) - 2013
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Cookout 2 Bling Bling (Character) - 2011
No Score Yet 35% Don't Fade Away Unknown (Character) - 2010
No Score Yet 83% Just Another Day Unknown (Character) - 2009
No Score Yet 50% Kiss and Tail: The Hollywood Jump Off Unknown (Character) - 2009
No Score Yet 31% Furnace Terrence Dufresne (Character) - 2006
60% 48% Assault on Precinct 13 Smiley (Character) $19.9M 2005
No Score Yet 57% Back in the Day Reggie (Character) - 2004
47% 57% Shall We Dance? Hip Hop Bar Performer (Character) $57.9M 2004
5% 37% The Cookout Bling Bling (Character) $11.5M 2004
35% 54% Scary Movie 3 Agent Thompson (Character) $110.0M 2003
3% 37% Half Past Dead Nick Frazier (Character) $15.4M 2002
No Score Yet No Score Yet All Star Weekend Unknown (Character) - 2002
55% 74% The Fast and the Furious Edwin (Character) $144.5M 2001
No Score Yet 75% Crime Partners Hitman (Character) - 2001
No Score Yet 26% Da Hip Hop Witch Self - 2000
31% 74% Backstage Self $1.2M 2000
10% 25% Turn It Up David 'Gage' Williams (Character) $1.2M 2000
62% 79% Rush Hour Original Music $141.2M 1998

TV

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Wendy Williams Show Guest 2013 2015 2019-2020 2022
No Score Yet No Score Yet Nick Cannon Music Performer 2021
No Score Yet No Score Yet Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen Guest 2013 2019
No Score Yet No Score Yet Untold Stories of Hip Hop Guest 2019
No Score Yet No Score Yet Follow the Rules Executive Producer,
Self
2015
No Score Yet No Score Yet 106 & Park Unknown (Character) 2013
15% No Score Yet South Beach Unknown (Guest Star) 2006
No Score Yet No Score Yet MADtv Unknown (Guest Star) 2004
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Daily Show Guest 2002
No Score Yet 57% Saturday Night Live Music Performer 2001