Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976) is an American rapper, songwriter, singer, record producer, and actor better known by his stage name Ja Rule. He made his breakthrough in 1999 with Venni Vetti Vecci and its lead track “Holla Holla.” He was born and raised in New York City. Ja Rule was signed to Irv Gotti’s Murder Inc. in the 2000s. The Inc. Records, originally known as The Inc. From 1999 through 2005, Ja Rule has several hits that charted in the top 20 in the United States. Billboard Hot 100 chart, including “Between Me and You” (with Christina Milian), “I’m Real (Murder Remix)” and “Ain’t It Funny” (both with Jennifer Lopez), which both topped the Hot 100, “Always on Time” (containing Ashanti), “Mesmerize” (including Ashanti), and “Wonderful” (featuring Ashanti) (featuring R. Kelly and Ashanti).
Rule has been nominated for two American Music Awards and four Grammy Awards, together with Lil’ Mo, Vita, Ashanti, and Case. Following the platinum-selling debut Venni Vetti Vecci (1999), he released his second and third albums, Rule 3:36 (2000) and Pain Is Love (2000). (2001). Both albums topped the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States, catapulting him into the mainstream, selling over 15 million sales to a diverse audience and earning triple platinum status from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making them his best-selling albums to date. Rule then released his fourth, fifth, and sixth albums, The Last Temptation (2002), Blood in My Eye (2003), and R.U.L.E. (2004), with The Last Temptation going platinum and R.U.L.E. going gold. Rule has sold 14.4 million units in the United States and over 30 million records globally as of 2018. He joins the main cast of WeTV’s Growing Up Hip Hop: New York in 2019.
Outside of music, Ja Rule was widely criticized for his role in the deceptive Fyre Festival, which he co-founded with con artist Billy McFarland. He was cleared of any legal wrongdoing related to his role in the festival in November 2019.