Jeffrey Bruce Atkins Sr., better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper. Born and raised in New York City, Ja Rule became known as a leading figure in 2000s hip hop for his blending of gangsta rap with commercially-oriented pop sensibilities. He signed with Irv Gotti's Murder Inc Records, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings to release his debut studio album Venni Vetti Vecci (1999), which spawned his first single "Holla Holla". Ja Rule peaked the Billboard Hot 100 thrice in 2001 with his single "Always on Time" and his guest appearances on Jennifer Lopez's "I'm Real " and "Ain't It Funny". His encompassing singles, "Put It on Me", "Mesmerize", "Livin' It Up" and "Wonderful" have peaked within the top ten of the chart and spawned from commercially successful album releases.
Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She was first discovered as a teenager and signed to Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings in 2002. That same year, she was featured on Fat Joe's "What's Luv?" and Ja Rule's "Always on Time", both of which were two of the biggest hit songs of 2002. She became the first female artist to occupy the top two positions on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart simultaneously with "Foolish" and "What's Luv?" at numbers one and two, respectively.
Tiffany Lane, better known by her stage name Charli Baltimore, is an American rapper and television personality. Her stage name is taken from Geena Davis's character in the film The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr., professionally known as Irv Gotti, is an American DJ, music producer and record executive. He co-founded the record label Murder Inc. Records in 1998, which was an imprint of Def Jam Recordings. He received production credits for most of the recordings by artists signed to the label—including Ja Rule, Lloyd, and Ashanti—as well as other artists such as Jennifer Lopez, DMX, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Fat Joe, and Eve, among others. Gotti is also the creator of the BET series Tales.
Lloyd Polite Jr. is an American R&B singer. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised in Decatur, Georgia, he began his musical career as a member of the preteen-boy band N-Toon, which was formed by Joyce Irby in 1996. The group disbanded in 2001, and Polite signed with record executive Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings in 2003 to pursue a solo career. His 2004 debut single, "Southside" peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and led his debut studio album of the same name (2004), which entered the Billboard 200 at number 11. His second album, Street Love (2007) debuted at number two on the chart and was supported by the Billboard Hot 100-top 20 singles "You" and "Get It Shawty".
"Foolish" is a song by American singer Ashanti. It served as her debut single, the first from her self-titled debut album (2002) and was released by Def Jam Recordings, AJM, and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records. It was written by Ashanti, Etterlene Jordan, Mark DeBarge and Irv Gotti, while production was overseen by Gotti. The song heavily samples DeBarge's "Stay with Me". Due to the inclusion of the sample, Mark DeBarge and Etterlene Jordan are also credited as songwriters. A promotional version of the single called "Unfoolish" features a verse from The Notorious B.I.G. from his song "F--king You Tonight".
Venni Vetti Vecci is the debut studio album by American rapper Ja Rule. It was released on June 1, 1999, by Def Jam Recordings and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records. It was the first album to be released on Murder Inc. Production was mostly handled by Irv Gotti, with additional work provided by Lil Rob, Ty Fyffe, Erick Sermon and Self Service. The album features guest appearances from Jay-Z, DMX, Case, Memphis Bleek, Black Child, Ronald Isley and Erick Sermon, among others. The album title alludes to the Latin phrase "veni, vidi, vici", meaning "I came, I saw, I conquered".
Rule 3:36 is the second studio album by American rapper Ja Rule. It was released on October 3, 2000, by The Island Def Jam Music Group, Def Jam Recordings and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records. The album features guest appearances from Christina Milian, Lil' Mo, Shade Sheist and Jayo Felony, with producers Irv Gotti, Ty Fyffe, Tru Stylze, Lil Rob and Damizza contributing to the album. The album marked a significant change in Ja Rule's musical style, shifting from hardcore hip hop to a more radio-friendly pop rap oriented sound to greater success.
Murder Inc. was an American East Coast hip hop supergroup composed of Jay-Z, DMX, and Ja Rule, formed by record executive Irv Gotti in 1995. They first appeared on fellow New York-based rapper Mic Geronimo's 1995 song "Time to Build." After each gaining commercial success, the trio later appeared on the cover for the June 1999 issue of the hip-hop magazine XXL.
The Mirror is the second mixtape by rapper Ja Rule, originally planned to be released as his seventh album in 2007. Two singles, "Uh-Ohhh!" and "Body," were released in 2007 to poor chart performance. After tracks from the unreleased album were leaked online, Ja Rule decided to re-record the album, but later decided to release it as a mixtape on July 31, 2009 along with two bonus tracks, "Free" and "Style On 'Em."
Irv Gotti Presents: The Inc. is the second compilation album by The Inc. It was released on July 2, 2002 through The Island Def Jam Music Group and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records. Production was primarily handled by Irv Gotti, as well as Chink Santana, 7 Aurelius, DL and Buck 3000. It featured contributions from Murder Inc. roster, such as Caddillac Tah, Black Child, Ja Rule, Ashanti, Charli Baltimore and Vita, and guest appearances from Jennifer Lopez, Eastwood and Crooked I.
Irv Gotti Presents... The Murderers is a compilation album by American record producer Irv Gotti and hip hop group the Murderers. Originally scheduled for a January 25, 2000 release, it was released on March 21, 2000, by Murder Inc. Records and Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place at Quad Studios, at Battery Studios, at The Hit Factory, at Sound On Sound, at Right Track Studios, and at Electric Lady Studios in New York, and at Enterprise Studios, and at Westlake Audio in Los Angeles. Production was primarily handled by Irv Gotti, as well as Lil' Rob, Dat Nigga Reb, Mr. Fingaz, Damizza, DL, JB Money and Ty Fyffe. Beside Ja Rule, Black Child, Tah Murdah, Vita, O-1 and Chris Black, it features contributions by the rest of Murder Inc. roster, such as Ronnie Bumps, and Murder Inc., as well as guest appearances from Dave Bing, Shade Sheist, Busta Rhymes, Lil' Mo and Memphis Bleek.
"Between Me and You" is the first single from Ja Rule's second album, Rule 3:36. The single features Christina Milian and was released on June 16, 2000 to radio. The song was his first major crossover hit, peaking at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and became Ja Rule's first top 15 hit. It also reached number 26 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was produced by Irv Gotti and Lil' Rob. A version also exists with Ja Rule singing the chorus instead of Christina Milian. The song was released through The Island Def Jam Music Group, Def Jam Recordings and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records.
"Holla Holla" is the first single by the American rapper Ja Rule from his first studio album, Venni Vetti Vecci (1999). It was produced by Taiwan "Tai" Green and Irv Gotti. The music video was directed by Hype Williams and Irv Gotti.
"What's My Name?" is a song by American hip hop recording artist DMX, released as the first single released from his third album ...And Then There Was X (1999). The single peaked at #67 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. "What's My Name?" was produced by Self and co-produced by Irv Gotti. It went Gold on May 21, 2021 with all of his other Rap Songs.
"Put It On Me" was the second single from Ja Rule's sophomore studio album, Rule 3:36 (2000), released in December 2000 through Def Jam Records and Murder Inc. The song appeared on The Fast and the Furious (2001) soundtrack and was included on the special edition of Ja Rule's Pain Is Love (2001). "Put It On Me" features fellow Murder Inc. artist Vita, with her verse being written by Caddillac Tah. Originally, the song appeared on Rule 3:36 and only featured Ja Rule with Vita, until a remixed version was recorded with new vocals by singer Lil' Mo, which proved very popular, especially on radio. Ja Rule explained that the lyrics of the song were inspired by an argument he had with his wife to show how important she is to him. It peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the week of March 19, 2001, making it Ja Rule's first top ten hit on the chart.
"Down Ass Bitch" was the third and final single by American rapper Ja Rule, from his third studio album Pain Is Love (2001). It features then-labelmate Charli Baltimore and was released through Def Jam Recordings and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records.
"Down 4 U" is the lead single from Murder Inc. Records' compilation album Irv Gotti Presents: The Inc., released through Def Jam Recordings and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records. The song features rapped verses from Ja Rule, Charli Baltimore, and Vita while Ashanti provides the chorus and sung vocals. The song is a remix as well as its music video being the sequel of Ja Rule's 2002 single, "Down Ass Bitch".
Murder Inc. Records, LLC, also abbreviated as The Inc. Records, is an American record label founded by brothers Chris and Irv Gotti in 1998. The label's flagship artist was Ja Rule. According to Chris Gotti, Murder Inc. had sold over 30 million units worldwide and grossed over $500 million. Murder Inc. was headquartered at One Worldwide Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York, while their main studio was The Crackhouse, also located in New York City.
Ramel Leroy Gill, better known by his stage name Black Child, is an American rapper from New York City. He is best known for his time being signed to Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records and being affiliated with Irv Gotti, Ashanti, and Ja Rule. He appeared on hit singles with Ja Rule and did various songs with other members of Murder Inc.
