Anyone who listened to Ja Rule's 1999 debut Venni Vetti Vecci and the compilation Irv Gotti presents … The Murderers knows how annoying the Murder Inc. crew can get. Both of those albums are so single-mindedly obsessed with murder and death that you get tired of them before you want to play them again. But who can blame the Murder Inc.? Half of the East Coast rappers, including Cam'ron and The LOX, mistake trash talking with street cred.
Ja Rule
Rule 3:36
Murder Inc./Def Jam
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While Ja Rule's new album Rule 3:36 still has all the death and murder talk that Murder Inc. is infamous for, it is at least an improvement on Ja's anger-fueled Venni Vetti Vecci. Obviously, the album is jam-packed with your standard "How Many Wanna" --esque tracks. But there is also an increasing number of tracks here that more closely resemble "Can I Get A …" and "Holla Holla."
The album is off to a promising start with the totally irresistible "Between Me and You," a sing-along version of "Holla Holla" that juxtaposes the raspy voice of Ja with the sweet chorus sang by new Def Soul discovery Christina Milian. The song is followed by another radio-friendly sing-along joint, "Put It On Me," featuring Vita.
The album boasts another two potential hits, namely "Extasy" and "I Cry." "Extasy," which features Tah Murdah, Black Child and Jayo Felony, showcases Ja at his finest talking about some pretty lighthearted stuff. "I Cry," featuring Lil' Mo, is a pleasant R&B-tinged ballad.
Aside from that, Rule 3:36 is back to a string of mindless trash talk with "6 Feet Underground," "Love Me, Hate Me" and "Die," to name a few. The lyrics here completely lack variety and originality, while Irv Gotti's productions here are also disappointingly unimaginative. As long as the Murder Inc. keeps beating the listeners over the head with the same undistinguished lyrics, it's unlikely Ja Rule will ever achieve the same level of success of Jay-Z or DMX.
