Ja Rule

Jeffery Atkins (born February 29, 1976 in Hollis, Queens, New York City), better known as Ja Rule (Jeffery Atkins Represents Unconditional Love Exists), is a thuggish rapper who is making a

Jeffery Atkins (born February 29, 1976 in Hollis, Queens, New York City), better known as Ja Rule (Jeffery Atkins Represents Unconditional Love Exists), is a thuggish rapper who is making a string of popular hip hop songs in the 2000's. He is also an actor who played roles in several films during this same time period.

Ja Rule was discovered and mentored by producer Irv Gotti, who produced records for Ja's group, the Cash Money (later "Murder") Click, and even rigged The Box's vote-by-phone system so as to get the Cash Money Click's video more airplay. In 1998, Gotti secured a distribution deal for his Murder Inc. Records label with Def Jam, and Ja Rule was groomed as Murder Inc.'s flagship artist. Ja served as hypeman for DMX, and was a protege to both Gotti and Jay-Z. He appeared on the Jay-Z track "Can I Get A ...", which was his introduction into the mainstream music industry.