'Guys, you're just gonna have to deal with it': Ja Rule on women dominating modern rap, the lyrics he's 'ashamed' of, Ashanti, and his long-awaited comeback (2024)

In 2005, however, at the height of his success, Ja did what not many in the music industry choose to do: walk away. Since then, he's released just one studio album, 2012's "Pain Is Love II," instead choosing to dedicate his time to his other endeavors.

He's starred in movies, launched his own whiskey brand, and even completeda course in entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School.

Most recently, Ja founded ICONN Media, a live-streaming entertainment marketplace, and its accompanying app, ICONN Live, a social media platform for creators. The app also broadcasts exclusive live content such as Ja's VIBES Concert Series, in which iconic artists perform their classic albums with a live band while telling the stories behind the music.

So far, Big Daddy Kane, Ghostface Killah, and Rule himself are among those to feature in the series.

Insider sat down with Ja to talk all things VIBES, his career, and his long-awaited return to music.

What inspired you to start the VIBES Concert Series?

Just being a fan of hip-hop, first and foremost. All of these artists that I get to do VIBES, I grew up on, man. These guys were my heroes. They're the reason why I do what I do, why I make music in the first place. So getting Rakim and Big Daddy Kane and Ghost to do the series, I'm like a kid in a candy store.

You've had some great guests already. Who else have you got lined up?

In a couple of weeks, I've got KRS-One. He's doing "Criminal Minded," which is gonna be outta this world. I can't wait. I've spoken to KRS a couple of times during the process of getting everything ready and he's so excited. He wants to put on a really, really great show.

What makes the concert series so unique?

It's about showcasing that body of work, that classic album that a lot of these artists don't usually perform back to front. As rappers, we're accustomed to doing the hit records whenever we perform, we do our catalog of hits instead of focusing on certain bodies of work or certain classic albums. These concerts are an ode to classic albums.

The crowds are real intimate and I wanna keep it that way. When Big Daddy Kane did his show, he went out in the crowd and sat and talked with people. I walked through the crowd during my entrance at my show. Those moments you can't capture on the bigger stages.

You were the star of the first concert, where you performed your third studio album, "Pain Is Love." Tell us about that.

Man, it was such a trip for me because I had to rehearse. Some of those records, I hadn't performed in 20 years or maybe never performed them. I had to get in there and just touch up, refresh my memory a little bit. The show was such a vibe, though, hence the title. I really enjoyed performing "Pain Is Love" front to back. That was probably the first time I've ever done it. It felt good.

Speaking of "Pain Is Love," that album was your most successful ever and took you right to the top of the rap game. How fondly do you look back on that period of your life?

It was a moment in time. A great moment, nonetheless, but I look at life in quarters. That was my second quarter. My first quarter was a little rocky, growing up in the hood and trying to figure it all out. My second quarter was great, I achieved a lot of success, got to experience what it's like to be successful, and go through the trials and tribulations of that. I had failures attached to that as well, which is amazing. You gotta go through it all. You have to go through certain failures to even know what success feels like.

Now I'm in my third quarter and I'm just enjoying everything. I've been through so much and have grown and learned so much through my first two quarters. I'm truly blessed. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Collaborating with female singers became your trademark in the early 2000s. Was that always your intent?

I mean, yeah. I was in a moment where I felt like I was kind of lost in what was going on in hip-hop and I wanted to create my own lane. I wanted to be in a class by myself. So that's where the whole style and everything you hear and see from the second album on came from. I kind of dabbled in it a little bit on the first album, but the second album, I made it my own and took control of that sound.

You had four smash hits with Ashanti — "Always On Time," "Wonderful," "What's Luv?," and "Mesmerize." What about you two together was so special?

Me and Ashanti have great chemistry, obviously. In the studio, we make amazing songs. But it's so crazy because I doubled up with all of my female collaborators. Me and J.Lo had two massive records, me and Lil' Mo had two big records as well. And then, of course, me and Ashanti, it's so weird.

I have luck good luck with females. I think it's the yin and yang. My voice is very raspy and rough and dark, and female voices are usually light and friendly and loving. Put those two together you have something special.

We are seeing fewer of those rap-R&B collaborations these days. Where have the Ja Rule and Ashantis of the world gone?

Hip-hop is always changing, elevating. Every three or four years, it kind of reinvents itself, whether it be through fashion or through the sound. Right now, we're seeing a female takeover. All the ladies are making their mark on hip-hop, and we're seeing less and less male artists getting that spotlight. I think that's the way it's gonna be for a while now, it's gonna be a female-dominated game for a minute. Guys, you're just gonna have to deal with it.

Are there any female rappers you particularly love right now?

I like artists that step outside the box and do different things. I like Lizzo. Her music is different. Of course, I like Cardi and Nicki and Meg and the usual suspects, even the new artists like Ice Spice. But I really like the artists that are setting themselves a little bit outside of what everybody else is doing. Coi Leray is doing that. She's setting herself apart from what some of the other girls are doing, which I like.

What about your own music? It's been over a decade since you released an album. Any plans for a new one?

I'm a big timing person. And right about now is coming up due time for me, so get ready.

Can you expand?

Just get ready.

Many of your older songs are still extremely popular today. Why'd you think that is?

I think a lot of those records put people in a place in time. They remember what they were doing when those records were important in their life. A lot of people were partying and in high school and in college, and those records were a soundtrack to those moments. It's a blessing to have that because that lives with people longer than just, 'I like this song.' This was the jam to our picnics, our barbecues, or our late-night car rides. Those moments are very important to how people see you later on in life as a hip-hop artist.

What's your favorite Ja Rule song and why?

Probably "Daddy's Little Baby" and "Put It On Me." The first, I made for my daughter. "Put It On Me," I made for my wife. Those records are personal, so they hold a little more meaning to me.

Are there any songs you regret?

Not because I didn't like the record per se, or I didn't think it was a good record, but because of the content of the record. I don't always make nice records. Some of those records I've made in the past, I listen back to them and it's not that I regret making them or anything, because at the time they were necessary, but you can still be ashamed of some of the lyrics.

As you get older, you start to realize that words are very powerful. And sometimes you may not even realize that you're hurting people with your words. I had to learn that words are very powerful and be careful how I use them.

What would be your advice to younger artists in that respect?

It's like the age-old fight between the hero and the villain. If you feel like you have powers, you should use them for good. Hip-hop is a power and if you have powers to speak to millions of people and uplift them, then that's what you should aim to do. You're not always gonna achieve that, but that should be your aim and your goal, instead of using your power for bad.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.