He is best-known for hits "Put It On Me", "Between Me And You", "Wonderful" and for being associated with Jay-Z as a part of The Murderers. Ja Rule has sold over 20 Million albums worldwide and has released six albums with one on the way. His best-selling albums are Pain Is Love and Rule 3:36. Ja Rule has beefed with rappers DMX, 50 Cent, The Game, Busta Rhymes, Dr. Dre, and Eminem.
Early life:
He attended Junior High School in Floral Park, New York, where he met his future wife Aisha Murray and they graduated in 1991. They attended Martin Van Buren High School together but he did not graduate. When Atkins was five years old, his sister died from respiratory problems. Growing up in a strict religious home, Atkin's family did not celebrate birthdays and Christmas, and as a child, was not allowed to listen to rap music. When he first heard it, he decided to be a rapper. He would sneak the music into his house and played it on his CD player when his mother wasn't around. Atkins is married to his high school sweetheart, Aisha Atkins née Murray.They have three children: Brittney (11), Jeffrey Junior (6) and Jordan (3).He and his family live in a mansion in New Jersey.
Rise to Fame:
At age 15, Atkins appeared with 0-1 and Chris Black as part of Cash Money Click. This would lead to him being signed by TVT Records in 1994. He would end up being heard by a young DJ who called himself DJ Irv, then later Irv Gotti. Gotti, was a friend of Jay-Z's and he was also a DJ for Def Jam Recordings. During the mid 90s his main priority was meeting Ja Rule. He wanted to sign Ja to his new label Murder Inc. Records. He wanted Ja because of his distinct deep voice. After Irv was able to sign Ja along with DMX and Jay-Z to Def Jam. He began to have an idea that they all work together. They formed a group named The Murderers. They recorded many songs together. Friction tore the group apart, DMX, a rapper that sounds very similar to Ja accused him of trying to steal his style with the deep voice, by saying that before the three were signed Ja tried to make his voice sound lighter but heard him embrace the deep voice and tried to imitate it. They had planned to release an album together, but this idea was scrapped and they all made appearances on their respective albums. Still, around this time, Ja Rule was still fairly unknown. Jay-Z, at the time a young star and new to Def Jam, was the most popular rapper in hip hop. Russell Simmons had the idea that in order to build hype around Ja Rule and capitalize on Jay's popularity that Ja Rule do a verse on Jay-Z's 1998 single Can I Get A..., which also featured Amil. Ja's performance of the verse made him a household name and he became an instant star and by the release of his album a year later he was one of Def Jam Recordings premier acts.
Leo
Ja Rule Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
talkin bout! I am the real psychic man! Next caller:
Caller: hello miss leo my uh boyfriend is in jail and i wanna know uh when he
is a-comin out
Leo: ok, i know, he will be-he-wi-, your boyfriend hold on the cards never lie
tyra readin and i am psychic and i am leo and i know when your boyfriend will
with that? you cool wit - ok then hold on your gonna hold on for 15 minute hold
on hold on okay - hold 15 minute hold on Next Caller:
Caller: Yes umm, i wanna know if uh, my mom is have affair with my boyfriend
Leo: Oh! now see girl, this is a very difficult one for me to read, becuase, i
see, i see darkness in your future, i see, now, now is your mother a whore?
Caller: yeas.
Leo: now see dis is what they talk, dis is what the cards say. dis is what me
thought dis is what me taught. now uh, does your momma, uhh, hold on let me
get this one together, hold on. its a 50 dollar charge fee, a minute. are you
cool wit dat? you cool wit dat?
Caller: okay
Leo: okay, Den you hold on too. Ten minute hold on for you. Caller, who on the
line?
Caller: Ajuya
Leo: Ajuya, what the hell u want?
Caller: umm i was just at the clinic and im curious to know--
Leo: hold on! you want to know who the baby's daddy is, am i right?
Caller: (gasp) oh my god
Leo: see! that what we know, the cards never lie, its all in the tyra readin!
Now, now, i see, i see in the cards, i see a, a tall one, a tall one, he has,
he has shot feet
Caller: yes
Leo: ok, and now i see a fat one. Now the fat one hes poor, hes rather poor, he
broke? is the fat one broke?
Caller: michael! yes...
Leo: His name uh, now see girl, my cards say that his name is fred, his name
not michael its fred.
Caller: (gasp!!)how do you know that!?
Leo: see he been lying to yo girl. yes the fat one been lying to you. so u know
what this leads me to believe? it was the other one you were fucking with, the
other one. it was neither one of them it was the other one girl. Now, if you'd
like to know anything else, your gonna have to HOLD ON!
The lyrics of Ja Rule's song "Leo" depict a radio show segment where a psychic named Leo takes calls from listeners who request her assistance on various personal matters. Leo appears to be very confident in her abilities, claiming that the cards never lie and that she is a real psychic. In her responses to callers, she mentions a price of $50 per minute to provide her services, and proceeds to make predictions and give advice to those who called in.
The first caller asks about the release date of her incarcerated boyfriend, to which Leo reassures her that she knows when he will be coming out. The second caller asks if her mother is having an affair with her boyfriend, to which Leo responds by suggesting that the caller's mother might be promiscuous. The third caller wants to know who the father of her baby is, to which Leo tells her that it was neither of the two men she mentioned, but rather someone else.
The song seems to provide a commentary on the reliability of psychics and their ability to make accurate predictions about people's lives. Leo's responses to the callers are vague and inconsistent, and it is unclear whether she actually possesses any psychic abilities or whether she is simply preying on vulnerable individuals in order to make money.
Line by Line Meaning
This is Leo! And im the cousin of the bitch that dont know what the fuck she talkin bout! I am the real psychic man! Next caller:
Introducing himself as the accurate psychic reader Leo, unlike his relative who doesn't possess this skill, and welcoming the next caller.
Caller: hello miss leo my uh boyfriend is in jail and i wanna know uh when he is a-comin out
The first caller seeks to find out when her incarcerated boyfriend will be released from jail.
Leo: ok, i know, he will be-he-wi-, your boyfriend hold on the cards never lie tyra readin and i am psychic and i am leo and i know when your boyfriend will be home. hold on i will tell you. the charge is 50 dollar a minute are u cool with that? you cool wit - ok then hold on your gonna hold on for 15 minute hold on hold on okay - hold 15 minute hold on Next Caller:
Leo assures the first caller that he knows when her boyfriend will be released from jail, but she has to wait for 15 minutes and agree to pay $50/minute. He then moves on to the next caller.
Caller: Yes umm, i wanna know if uh, my mom is have affair with my boyfriend
The second caller wants to know if her mother is cheating on her with her boyfriend.
Leo: Oh! now see girl, this is a very difficult one for me to read, becuase, i see, i see darkness in your future, i see, now, now is your mother a whore?
Leo is skeptical about reading the second caller's cards since it's a sensitive matter, and the outlook from the cards is unpleasant. He asks if the mother is a promiscuous woman.
Caller: yeas.
The second caller confirms that her mother is indeed a prostitute.
Leo: now see dis is what they talk, dis is what the cards say. dis is what me thought dis is what me taught. now uh, does your momma, uhh, hold on let me get this one together, hold on. its a 50 dollar charge fee, a minute. are you cool wit dat? you cool wit dat?
Leo recovers from shock and prepares to interpret the cards. However, he charges $50 per minute and confirms with the caller if she agrees to pay the fee.
Caller: okay
The second caller agrees to pay the fee for the psychic reading.
Leo: okay, Den you hold on too. Ten minute hold on for you. Caller, who on the line?
Leo asks for the identity of the next caller and informs the second caller to wait for ten minutes.
Caller: Ajuya
The third caller's name is Ajuya.
Leo: Ajuya, what the hell u want?
Leo abruptly greets the third caller and demands to know what she wants.
Caller: umm i was just at the clinic and im curious to know--
The third caller visited the clinic, and she wants to know something.
Leo: hold on! you want to know who the baby's daddy is, am i right?
Leo's psychic abilities allow him to guess that Ajuya wants to know the identity of the baby's father.
Caller: (gasp) oh my god
Ajuya is shocked that Leo guessed the nature of her question accurately.
Leo: see! that what we know, the cards never lie, its all in the tyra readin! Now, now, i see, i see in the cards, i see a, a tall one, a tall one, he has, he has shot feet
Leo explains that the cards provide truthful readings and proceeds to describe the physical appearance of the father of Ajuya's baby.
Caller: yes
Ajuya confirms that the tall father of her baby indeed has shot feet.
Leo: ok, and now i see a fat one. Now the fat one hes poor, hes rather poor, he broke? is the fat one broke?
Leo describes another man who fathered Ajuya's baby as short and poor, asking if he is broke.
Caller: michael! yes...
Ajuya confirms that the second potential father of her baby is, indeed, Michael and agrees that he's poor.
Leo: His name uh, now see girl, my cards say that his name is fred, his name not michael its fred.
Despite Ajuya identifying the second potential father as Michael, who is poor, Leo claims that the cards name him Fred.
Caller: (gasp!!)how do you know that!?
Ajuya is astonished that the psychic can know the name of the second potential father of her baby.
Leo: see he been lying to yo girl. yes the fat one been lying to you. so u know what this leads me to believe? it was the other one you were fucking with, the other one. it was neither one of them it was the other one girl. Now, if you'd like to know anything else, your gonna have to HOLD ON!
Leo tells Ajuya that Michael has been lying to her and suggests that the real father may be someone else. He warns her that he'll have to wait if she needs any more answers.
Contributed by Molly F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.