THE STORY SO FAR
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However the year before it's release new artist 50 Cent started a beef that cost Ja nearly all his fans and credibility. Ja had to re think and instead released the stop gap album "Blood In My Eye" which was his reply to everything that had been said over the year. The album didn't do well sales wise, but 'beef' wise, it made him win the battle hands down, taking not only 50 down but many others including Eminem, DMX and Dr Dre. While "Blood In My Eye" was never meant for commercial success, it answered the battles and let him get back to business and was essential in order for him to release "R.U.L.E".

This album goes back to the successful mix of street records and commercial records, although I feel it swaying largely to the commercial side, which in my eyes is a good thing.

Lyrically and performance wise Ja is at his peak here, it seems his years in the business have gained him the experience to make a truly outstanding album. With six albums in as many years, a lot of artists would run out of subject matter, and the songs would become tired. In short, most artists should have retired by now, but Ja is better than ever here.

LAST OF THE MOHICANS FT BLACK CHILD
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It has a powerful, intense beat and the instrumental is filled with base. Production is great and the music really complitments Ja's voice here.

Best bit: I find it hard to pick one out here actually.

Ja is back in full commercial flow, accompanied mainly by R Kelly with Ashanti singing at minimum on the chorus. This is the side of him I love, and I don't care how un cool that is, the music sounds good to me and that's all I'm looking for when listening to a CD! This is hip-pop/RnB at its best!

The song ponders over whether people would still love them if it wasn't for all the fame and money and things they have.

The concept of what they're singing about has, no doubt, been done before but I can't help but feel for him here; "If it wasn't for the money and the things I got, Sh*t, she probably wouldn't like me". There's a sincerity to it. I think he does know that a lot of the popularity he has with women is from him being Ja Rule, not Jeffery Atkins. When he first made Wonderful it was a track just for him about what he was feeling and that shows here.

R Kelly's verse is good too although I'm far from and R Kelly fan. R Kelly wouldn't even have been Ja's first choice for the track, due to R Kelly being on so much lately but he felt it made sense in the context of the song.

This is said to be Ja's comeback album, which may leave some of you wondering, did he ever go anywhere in the first place?; "I'm back, Anyone with good sense bet on that, Cause I ain't never went nowhere, I still got business here". It's referred to as his comeback however as it's back to his old style, after the release of the battle album "Blood In My Eye" the year before.

The other big single off this album which is definitely catchy and therefore worked well commercially but it isn't hip-pop here it does feel like his darker sound. The chorus will stick in your head for days and the collaboration with Fat Joe and Jadakiss works perfectly.

Although Ja seems to have somewhat left behind the beefs of his past, getting it all out of his system in one go (Blood In My Eye) there are still putdowns here, although no direct references to particular rappers (i.e. no names mentioned, work it out for yourself): "Y'all n***** is p*ssy, p**nani, (Vag*na), Your (Monologue's) getting tired, now it's time to ride, You're print distrified, you're no longer desired, So take off them silly chains, put back on your wire"

Fat Joe's verse sounds quite good, although his lyrics lack somewhat compared with Ja and Jadakiss it still all flows well and is easy to listen too. Probably a wise idea to lump him in the middle, if he was near the end you'd be inclined to skip by the time the other two had performed, if he was at the beginning the track might not hold your intention for long enough to hear the other two. Not that he's bad here, just really average.

STRIPPING GAME (SKIT)
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When this track comes on I was thinking what's this tune? I've heard it before? Well, to me it sounds really like Alicia Keyes "Karma" which I wasn't particularly a fan of (although I do like Alicia) but this song is far superior to it.

Another brilliant single collaboration from Ja. Lloyds vocals are great as are the girls who goes largely un credited here. I read somewhere she's called Alexus but I'm wondering if that may be wrong at it may be Alexi who was on another of his songs. Don't quote me on that though!

Some of the thing Ja says here are really truthful to everyday life and you can really relate. One particular bit reminds me of situations I've been in; "I don't mean to be rude, But our situation is kinda amusing, Cuz we both like each other, But scared of each other, It's like we more than friends, And less than lovers."

The subject matter is friends and family who've been lost, and the fact that you have to move on after people die, you mourn you grieve but "life goes on".

If the lyrics alone don't make you feel the sorrow of some of the things he has experienced that go on in the hood you can hear it in his voice. Ja is for real, this is not an acting game for him he has lived this and you can hear that, you can feel it.

Best bit: The descriptiveness of all the aspects a lot of people will never come across in their life.

This has a slow tempo yet somehow busy beat and a subtle yet somber piano loop and even nature sounds.

Ja has seen many people flip on him, not just the fans; "But what's love, when your friends become enemies, Your nightmares are no longer your worst dreams"

VERDICT
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Ja does include some of the commercial sound that he is so loved and so hated for here but there's also so much more. This is his sixth album in as many years and whilst some may feel he could be running out of steam or subject matter that couldn't be further from the truth. The drama, beefs and federal investigations have only fuelled Ja on and given him new material to write about.

Ja has turned what happened to him with the fall in his popularity due to 50s lyrical attacks on him into something he can find a positive side to: "I mean you know it's a little frustrating but you gotta understand that sometimes when you're the top of your game people want to knock you down. I look at Muhammad Ali as the picture perfect example cos here you have a man that was arrogant but could back it up and get to the top of his game then was brought down not by getting beat at first but by other means by media, political things and he fought and he got through it. Then came the actual defeats of him getting knocked out and he fought and won the championship again so I look at him and think if a man can go through so many things and still get up and keep fighting there's something to be said about that man. People didn't look at him back then as the man he is now, but after all said and done people look at him and say he is a fighter, he is truly the greatest and they show him respect. So I needed to look at this whole thing as a blessing in disguise cos its gonna make me into a better artist cos I keep fighting no matter what."

Ja and I believe his fans are leaders, and the haters are followers. He knows what sort of people are his fans and he appreciates that perhaps more than a lot of artists who always do the whole "I love you" to the fans with little meaning or feeling behind it.

In my opinion this is the best of all the Ja Rule albums and one of my all time favourites of any artist. The tracks are all great, and some are flawless. I love the whole album and can't put into words how much I enjoy listening to it. I would reccomend it to anyone who is a fan of Hip Hop and RnB. If you're into summer pop jam classics or club bangers then this is also for you.

AND SO THE INC CONTINUE
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