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.
Stripping Game
Ja Rule Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Long long long time ago
White man went to Africa and
He saw these beautiful black women walkin' around sagging'
Dancing Workin' Livin' in the nude
You can see there public hair
This white man went from village to village
To seek out these black women
Whit man had an idea
He figured he gonna go back to Europe right
Start the same type of business that started with black women
Get them white bitches to dance the same way
Huh anit no shame in our black women
Wasn't no shame in them walkin' but ass naked
People over the years try to start the same thing
But it didn't happen
Those white bitches told him the most beautiful words we ever heard in our profession
What she say?
baby those whit bitches looked him in the eye and told him
Fuck that! Pay me!
That's why I get 30%
where Can I Start?
The lyrics to Ja Rule's song Stripping Game highlight the history of stripping, tracing its roots back to Africa a long time ago, when black women were seen walking around and living their lives in the nude. It is said that white men went to Africa and saw these women and decided to start the same type of business in Europe with white women. However, there was no shame in the black women walking around naked, but it was seen as taboo when white women started doing the same.
The lyrics also talk about how people over the years have tried to start the same thing with white women, but it didn't happen until they started demanding to get paid for their performances. This is indicated in the lines "Fuck that! Pay me!" which is what the white women told the man who wanted them to perform.
The song sheds light on the exploitative nature of the stripping industry and highlights the fact that it was started by white men who found black women's bodies fascinating and were looking to profit from it. The song also highlights the power dynamics at play and how the tables turned when white women started demanding payment for their services.
Line by Line Meaning
Stripping business started in Africa long time ago
The practice of stripping started in Africa a long time ago.
Long long long time ago
It started a really long time ago.
White man went to Africa and
A white man traveled to Africa and
He saw these beautiful black women walkin' around sagging'
He saw beautiful black women walking around with no clothes on.
Dancing Workin' Livin' in the nude
These women danced, worked and lived without clothes on.
You can see there public hair
Their pubic hair was visible.
This white man went from village to village
The white man traveled from one village to another.
To seek out these black women
To find these black women.
Watchin' them perform in the nude
He watched them perform with no clothes on.
Whit man had an idea
The white man had an idea.
He figured he gonna go back to Europe right
He decided to go back to Europe.
Start the same type of business that started with black women
To start a similar business that started with black women.
Get them white bitches to dance the same way
Get white women to dance in the same way.
Huh anit no shame in our black women
There's no shame in the way our black women dance.
Wasn't no shame in them walkin' but ass naked
There was no shame in them walking around naked.
People over the years try to start the same thing
People over the years tried to start the same thing.
But it didn't happen
But they were not successful.
Those white bitches told him the most beautiful words we ever heard in our profession
The white women said something so powerful that it stayed with us.
What she say?
What did she say?
baby those whit bitches looked him in the eye and told him
Those white women looked at him and said
Fuck that! Pay me!
I'm not doing this for free. Pay me!
That's why I get 30%
That's why they get 30% of the profits.
where Can I Start?
Where can I begin?
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind