Blood in My Eye

2003 studio album by Ja Rule
Blood in My Eye
Studio album by
Ja Rule
ReleasedNovember 4, 2003
GenreHip hop[1]
Length44:56
Label
ProducerIrv Gotti
Ja Rule chronology
The Last Temptation
(2002) 		Blood in My Eye
(2003) 		R.U.L.E.
(2004)
Singles from Blood in My Eye
  1. "Clap Back"
    Released: October 14, 2003

Blood in My Eye is the fifth studio album by American rapper Ja Rule, released on November 4, 2003, by Murder Inc. and Island Def Jam Music Group. The album was originally planned to be released as a mixtape. The release took place during the feud with Shady/Aftermath rappers 50 Cent, G-Unit, Eminem, D12, Dr. Dre, Obie Trice, along with artists including DMX and Busta Rhymes and was entirely dedicated to dissing them. The album was named after George Jackson's radical book of the same name. Hussein Fatal of Outlawz, Cadillac Tah, James Gotti, Sizzla, Black Child, Young Merc, D.O. Cannon, Shadow, and Sekou 720 are listed as guest appearances on this album. Reviews for the record were mixed, with critics skeptical of Ja's lyrical skills as a hardcore rapper. Blood in My Eye debuted at number 6 on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 140,000 copies in the United States.[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic45/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Entertainment WeeklyC[5]
The Guardian[1]
Rolling Stone[6]
RapReviews5.5/10[7]

Blood in My Eye garnered mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 45, based on 8 reviews.[3]

Beccy Lindon of The Guardian called the record "a rough, back-to-basics rap album", noting that it is filled with guest verses from hardcore rappers and devoid of R&B artists, concluding that it is "more concerned with answering critics and continuing the backbiting with the Death Row camp."[1] Jon Caramanica, writing for Rolling Stone, commended Ja for breaking away from his usual love duet formula to deliver shots at other rappers but said that "the boasts here feel utterly tired. And so does the attitude."[6] Michael Endelman of Entertainment Weekly found the album to be "a dull slog with a dearth of hooks and a surfeit of gangsta clichés."[5]

Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews criticized the narrow-minded lyrical takedowns and suggested that Ja stick to mainstream R&B/hip-hop duets, despite crediting the production and collaborations with Hussein Fatal, saying that, "All things considered though, this short 45 minute album will not solve Ja's problems, nor will it restore him to chart dominance."[7] AllMusic editor Jason Birchmeier called it "a very focused and heartfelt album", much more than his debut Venni Vetti Vecci, but felt that Ja worked better as a mainstream rapper crafting "catchy pop-rap tracks with grimy posturing and singalong hooks." He added that listeners would not get much out of the record, saying "there are only two quality songs, a lot of redundant trash-talking, and an overall sense of ridiculousness that pervades."[4]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[8]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Murder Intro" 0:26
2."The Life" (featuring Hussein Fatal, Caddillac Tah and James Gotti)
  • Jimi Kendrix
  • Irv Gotti
4:35
3."Clap Back"
4:57
4."The Crown" (featuring Sizzla)
3:45
5."Kay Slay" (Skit) 
  • Ja Rule
  • Irv Gotti
0:18
6."Things Gon' Change / 2 Punk Ass Quarters (Skit)" (featuring Black Child, Young Merc and D.O. Cannons)
  • Atkins
  • Smith
  • Lorenzo
  • Ramel Gill
  • Jeffery Crocker
  • Gerard Fields
  • Jimi Kendrix
  • Irv Gotti
4:01
7."Race Against Time II"
  • Atkins
  • Smith
  • Lorenzo
  • Jimi Kendrix
  • Irv Gotti
  • Boogz (co.)
3:53
8."Bobby Creep" (Skit)
  • Richard Wilson
  • Lorenzo
  • Rebel
  • Irv Gotti
0:44
9."Niggas & Bitches"
  • Atkins
  • Winston Thomas
  • Lorenzo
  • BlackOut
  • Irv Gotti
4:34
10."The INC Is Back" (featuring Shadow, Sekou 720 and Black Child)
  • Kyle Robinson
  • Sekou Branch
  • Gill
  • Atkins
  • Lorenzo
  • Sekou 720
  • Irv Gotti
5:22
11."Remo" (Skit)
  • Wilson
  • Lorenzo
  • Rebel
  • Irv Gotti
1:13
12."Blood In My Eye" (featuring Hussein Fatal)
  • Jimi Kendrix
  • Irv Gotti
2:25
13."It's Murda (Freestyle)" (featuring Hussein Fatal)
  • Atkins
  • Washington
  • Lorenzo
Irv Gotti3:36
14."The Wrap (Freestyle)" (featuring Hussein Fatal)
  • Atkins
  • Washington
  • Lorenzo
  • Albert Johnson
  • Kejuan Muchita
  • Tajuan Perry
Irv Gotti5:09

 • (co.) Co-producer

Sample credits[8]

  • "The Crown" contains a sample of "Solid as a Rock", written by Miguel Collins and Bobby Dixon, performed by Sizzla.
  • "Blood In My Eye" contains a sample of "Slippin' Into Darkness", written by Thomas Allen, Harold Brown, Morris Dickerson, Leroy Jordan, Lee Levitin, Charles Miller, and Howard Scott, performed by War.
  • "The Wrap (Freestyle)" contains a sample of "Learning Burn", written by Albert Johnson, Kejuan Muchita, and Tajuan Perry, performed by Mobb Deep.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2003) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] 79
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[10] 32
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[11] 10
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] 98
Scottish Albums (OCC)[13] 67
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[14] 92
UK Albums (OCC)[15] 51
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[16] 13
US Billboard 200[17] 6
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[18] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2004) Position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[19] 100

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Lindon, Beccy (November 7, 2003). "CD: Ja Rule: Blood in My Eye". The Guardian. London. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
  2. ^ D'Angelo, Joe (November 17, 2004). "Eminem Shreds The Competition, Even With A Premature Encore". Country Music Television. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Reviews for Blood In My Eye by Ja Rule". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  4. ^ a b Birchmeier, Jason. "Blood in My Eye - Ja Rule". AllMusic. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  5. ^ a b Endelman, Michael (November 21, 2003). "Blood in My Eye". Archived from the original on 2017-02-19. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Caramanica, Jon (November 19, 2003). "Ja Rule: Blood In My Eye". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved September 30, 2007.
  7. ^ a b Juon, Steve 'Flash' (November 4, 2003). "Feature for November 4, 2003 - Ja Rule's "Blood in My Eye"". RapReviews. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  8. ^ a b Blood in My Eye (booklet). Murder Inc., Def Jam. 2003.
  9. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 139.
  10. ^ "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. November 27, 2003. Archived from the original on December 10, 2004. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  11. ^ "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. November 30, 2003. Archived from the original on December 9, 2003. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  12. ^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
  13. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  14. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Ja Rule – Blood in My Eye". Hung Medien.
  15. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  16. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  17. ^ "Ja Rule Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  18. ^ "Ja Rule Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  19. ^ "Year-End Charts: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - 2004". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 19, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
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