Ja Rule sat down with Complex to give his first interview since being released from prison back in May. After spending the last two years serving concurrent sentences for illegal weapons possession and tax evasion, and the last three months on house arrest, the Queens rapper had a lot to get off his chest, to say the least.
Not only going into detail about his experiences inside, Ja discussed his old beef with 50 Cent, shared his thoughts on Trayvon Martin and gun violence in the black community, and reflected on his dominance of the Rap-R&B lane back in the day.
Looking ahead, the former Murder Inc. star spoke on his role in the upcoming movie, I Fell In Love With a Church Girl, and announced upcoming songs with N.O.R.E., Lil Wayne and Birdman, and Fat Joe. He also says we wants to put out a new project called Fuck Fame.
Highlights from Ja Rule’s interview after the jump…
On beef with 50 Cent and Eminem:
“For me [it's squashed.] I know for those guys, it is too in some ways. I don’t think any of us really think about it anymore. We have a bigger responsibility to the kids that are coming up behind us to be role models for them, and I think that’s more where everybody is now. I think we’re all adults and we’re grown.”
“For me [it's squashed.] I know for those guys, it is too in some ways. I don’t think any of us really think about it anymore. We have a bigger responsibility to the kids that are coming up behind us to be role models for them, and I think that’s more where everybody is now. I think we’re all adults and we’re grown.”
On future music:
“I did a record with N.O.R.E. that’s real hot. It’s me, N.O.R.E., Weezy, Baby — it’ll be out soon. I also just did another record with Fat Joe; he came out to the house to see me. I had an idea to do a record called “Trading Places”: I’m coming home, he’s going in. We played with that concept a little bit and made a hot record.”
“I did a record with N.O.R.E. that’s real hot. It’s me, N.O.R.E., Weezy, Baby — it’ll be out soon. I also just did another record with Fat Joe; he came out to the house to see me. I had an idea to do a record called “Trading Places”: I’m coming home, he’s going in. We played with that concept a little bit and made a hot record.”
“I want to put out another record, I want to do a new project called Fuck Fame, but I’m not in a rush. I may put out 10 singles before I put out the actual album because that’s what I want to do, you know what I mean?”
On jail experience:
“It’s doing time, you know? There’s really not much to do in prison, but work out, read, watch TV. I had a job so I had to get up in the morning and do that. They had me working in the warden’s office, so I was doing little odd jobs, sweeping, mopping, watering plants, shit like that. [Laughs]”
“It’s doing time, you know? There’s really not much to do in prison, but work out, read, watch TV. I had a job so I had to get up in the morning and do that. They had me working in the warden’s office, so I was doing little odd jobs, sweeping, mopping, watering plants, shit like that. [Laughs]”
“I was going into prison Ja Rule, so everybody knows me. They were expecting me, so I was definitely received with a lot of love, a lot of admiration. I didn’t know if I was going to go in and have to be fighting everyday and getting into beefs with dudes over stupid shit, but I was prepared for whatever. I was prepared for the worst going in, but it turned out to be a different situation than that.”
“Spigg Nice from Lost Boyz was in Ray Brook. He was there, he’s doing like 30 years [for a bank-robbery spree]. We kicked it; we ain’t seen each other in a really long time. We had a lot of old stories to talk about.”
On Trayvon Martin:
“I look at a situation like what happened with Trayvon Martin and it really hurts my heart, because it’s like a message is being sent that if you carry a firearm and you’re young and you’re black and successful, we’ll put you in jail. But if you’re a young black man you can be murdered, and then the laws can work in this person’s favor.”
“I look at a situation like what happened with Trayvon Martin and it really hurts my heart, because it’s like a message is being sent that if you carry a firearm and you’re young and you’re black and successful, we’ll put you in jail. But if you’re a young black man you can be murdered, and then the laws can work in this person’s favor.”
“But there’s young black men being murdered every day in our neighborhoods. You can’t just take one incident and decide to get behind that just because there’s heavy media behind it and it looks good on you as an artist. What about justice for all of our black youth that are getting killed everyday in the hood by other black men? I think that’s an issue we need to start marching for and rallying for as well.”
On his Rap-R&B lane:
“I think what I did create was the hip-hop duet, where it’s not just a hip-hop artist putting a 16 on a R&B song or a R&B artist singing on a rap song. I fused the two.”
“I think what I did create was the hip-hop duet, where it’s not just a hip-hop artist putting a 16 on a R&B song or a R&B artist singing on a rap song. I fused the two.”
“Even when people talk about me and 50’s beef — he made a gang of records like that. He was watching, too. At the end of the day, I’m glad that I was able to inspire. Because that’s what music is about. I’m glad that I was able to do that—even if motherfuckers won’t admit it.”
On starting a scholarship fund for prison inmates:
“I would love to start a scholarship fund for prisoners. I’m hoping to get Michael Vick involved, and T.I. and Wayne, and guys who’ve been behind the wall. Because when I was behind the wall, one thing I did see was a lot of guys that want to do something positive, want to do something better with they lives, but don’t have the means to do it.”
“I would love to start a scholarship fund for prisoners. I’m hoping to get Michael Vick involved, and T.I. and Wayne, and guys who’ve been behind the wall. Because when I was behind the wall, one thing I did see was a lot of guys that want to do something positive, want to do something better with they lives, but don’t have the means to do it.”
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