Ranking the Best Ja Rule Albums

Have we been too hard on Ja Rule all these years?

Admittedly, I was a pretty big fan of Ja right out of the gate – I thought he smashed his verse on Jay Z’s “Can I Get A” in 1998, fell in love with his initial singles “How Many Wanna” and “Holla Holla” and was gifted his debut album for my birthday (…even though it was one of those edited Walmart CDs).

But as his star got brighter and the collaborations with artists like Jennifer Lopez and Ashanti got more and more formulaic, my patience grew thinner. So when newcomer 50 Cent weaponized our Ja Rule fatigue in his war against the Murder Inc. record label, I was throwing rocks along with the rest of ’em.

And do not get me started on Fyre Festival. Ugh.

Ja was the industry’s favorite punching bag for years but time heals all wounds and it’s cool to see him more readily embraced today by those fans who grew up on his 2000s hits.

And say what you want about the guy, but he had HITS.

Let’s look back at those hits today, revisiting and ranking his albums from bottom to top. Maybe it’ll help re-establish my love for the Rule too.

7. Blood in My Eye (2003)

Soul in Stereo rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

Edd said: Ohhh boy, THIS album. A bit a backstory – Blood in My Eye dropped in the middle of Ja Rule’s war with half the music industry at the time – G-Unit, Shady, Dr. Dre, DMX, Busta Rhymes, even Lil Mo. Who has beef with Lil Mo!? Imagine Drake attempting to drop a clapback album hot off the heels of “Not Like Us” and you’ll understand the unenviable position Ja was in. I know Ja got a lot of heat for attempting to “sound tough” here after spending two years crooning with Ashanti on 106 & Park. However, Day One Ja fans will recognize that this album’s edgier content isn’t all that different from the sound that defined his pre-J.Lo days. It was more a return to form than gangsta cosplay. But the REAL problem is the record sounds so uninspired. Half of the tracks feel like Great Value “Hit ‘Em Up” while the other half are probably unused scraps from previous recording sessions. It’s a pretty big L on Ja’s resume.

Forgotten favorites: “It’s Murda,” “Against Time”

6. Pain is Love 2 (2012)

Soul in Stereo rating: 3 stars out of 5

Edd said: It’s not often that I can say this but it’s true: I have ZERO idea this album existed until I began my research for this post. I don’t remember the single, I don’t remember promo, I don’t recall that rorschach-looking album cover, nothing. According to the always accurate and never flawed Wikipedia, PIL2 dropped while Ja was serving time for tax evasion, and I’m just taking their word for it. PIL2 is his final album to date and, to its credit, has a solid concept – Ja musing about the evils of fame and how his fall from grace took such a heavy toll on his life. That’s a great premise but most of the songs can’t live up to the weighty concept. The varied production is cool – swinging form electronic to rock themes, along with the usual early-2010s sonics – but Ja rarely capitalizes on them. No wonder this album has been lost to time, it’s very forgettable.

Forgotten favorites: “SuperStar,” “Pray,” “Never Had Time”

5. The Last Temptation (2002)

Soul in Stereo rating: 3 stars out of 5

Edd said: And this is when we got cracks in Murder Inc’s armor the size of the Mariana Trench. The Last Temptation is the Murder Inc. formula on roids: We get plenty of big singles – “Murder Reigns” for the OG Ja fans, “Mesmerize” with Ashanti for the 106 & Park crowd, “The Pledge Remix” with alleged Murder Inc signee Nas, and of course Bobby Brown being a complete lunatic on “Thug Luvin.” But besides those four songs, there’s barely anything nothing of note here, just a bunch of so-so tracks with hilariously questionable samples. Turning Tony Toni Tone’s “Anniversary” into “Murder Me” sounds like something a Tik Tok comedian would do. In fact, this album reminds me of a lot of modern day streaming releases – a couple of hits to juice streaming numbers surrounded by a bunch of nothing.

Forgotten favorites: “The Warning,” “Destiny (Outro)”

4. Venni Vetti Vecci (1999)

Soul in Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Edd said: It’s the Rule’s debut, and it sounds a little out of place when placed next to his later works. Venni Vetti Vecci is a much gritter Ja than the radio friendly crooner mainstream fans would embrace in the coming years – the Blood in My Eye guy, but less bored. The comparisons to DMX and 2pac, from the gruff delivery to the religious callbacks, were deafening at the time and it’s a legit criticism. Ja was still struggling to find a distinct voice and sound to allow him to stand as his own act. Like many albums in this era, the tracklist is longer than it needs to be, adding unnecessary bloat to the playlist. But there’s quite a few street anthems and introspective cuts to show that Ja had a promising career ahead of him.

Forgotten favorites: “The Murderers,” “It’s Murda,” “Daddy’s Little Baby”

3. Rule 3:36 (2000)

Soul in Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Edd said: Here’s where things started to come together. Rule’s sophomore album showcases a much more confident Ja, establishing his voice and balancing his street rants with R&B-laced tracks tailor-made for radio. The Murder Inc. formula wasn’t quite in its full form yet, and that’s a good thing – the album doesn’t feel as boilerplate as later missteps like The Last Temptation. Like his debut, there’s a bit of filler than drags the score down, but you can see Ja finding himself as an artist in real time.

Forgotten favorites: “6 Feet Underground,” “Love Me, Hate Me,” “Rule Won’t Die”

2. Pain is Love (2001)

Soul in Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5

Edd said: If Rule 3:36 was Ja’s breakout, Pain is Love was confirmation. The singles were bigger, his partnerships with Jennifer Lopez and Ashanti were solidified, and Ja’s confidence was sky-high. Pain is Love essentially plays like a Ja’s Greatest Hits album, making him both ever-present on radio and the undisputed king of BET’s 106 & Park during that show’s heyday. Like several of the previous LP on this list, some of the album cuts get lost in the sauce but this is easily Ja’s signature release. But it’s still not his best…

Forgotten favorites: “Never Again,” “X,” “So Much Pain”

1. R.U.L.E. (2004)

Soul in Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5

Edd said: I don’t know if you can fairly call R.U.L.E. a comeback album, but it’s quite the redemption story. After coming out on the losing end of his war with 50 Cent, Eminem and half the industry, along with Murder Inc being raided by the feds, Ja was at the lowest point of his career. But instead of wallowing in his misery, he refocused and dropped R.U.L.E., a composite of all of the Rule’s greatest artistic strengths. Of course, we still a few of those Murder Inc.-styled copy/paste radio singles (like the dismal “Wonderful”) but those took a backseat to the superior album cuts and more grounded street singles. Forget all the J. Lo. joints – “New York” is probably Ja’s best track to date. A true anthem. It’s a shame that many fans had moved on by the time this album dropped. They missed Ja at his best.

Forgotten favorites: “Last of the Mohicans,” “Never Thought,” “Bout My Business”

It’s your turn, Murder Inc. stans – which Ja Rule album is your favorite? We KNOW it’s Pain is Love. But let us know in the comments below.