R.U.L.E.

2004 studio album by Ja Rule
R.U.L.E.
Closeup of Ja Rules' face looking serious
Studio album by
Ja Rule
ReleasedNovember 9, 2004
Recorded2003–04
GenreHip hop[1]
Length71:30
Label
Producer
  • Irv Gotti
  • Cool & Dre
  • Chink Santana
  • Jimi Kendrix
Ja Rule chronology
Blood in My Eye
(2003) 		R.U.L.E.
(2004) 		Exodus
(2005)
Singles from R.U.L.E.
  1. "Wonderful"
    Released: September 27, 2004[2]
  2. "New York"
    Released: October 27, 2004
  3. "Caught Up"
    Released: May 24, 2005

R.U.L.E. is the sixth studio album by American rapper Ja Rule; it was released on November 9, 2004, by The Inc. and Island Def Jam Music Group.[3] The album debuted at number 7 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 165,000 units in its opening week.[4] The album was certified Gold and sold over 658,000 copies in the United States.[5] Singles from the album include "Wonderful" featuring R. Kelly and Ashanti; the top 20 song "New York" featuring Jadakiss and Fat Joe, and the song "Caught Up" featuring Lloyd.

The album was also made in a heavily edited version removing profanities, drugs and violent content: it removes the skits "Weed" and "Stripping Game". This version of the album became the most edited album other than his previous album Blood in My Eye (2003).

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[1]
HipHopDX[7]
RapReviews7/10[8]
USA Today[9]

R.U.L.E. garnered favorable reviews from music critics but some questioned if this was a return to form after the disappointing Blood in My Eye. K.B. Tindal of HipHopDX called the album Ja's best since Rule 3:36 and Pain Is Love, concluding that "The Inc. will always be Murder Inc. no matter what and Ja will always be at the head of the fam so get used to it, he's back."[7] Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews gave a mixed review, stating "[T]his is not an overwhelming strong album lyrically, but it's a pleasant enough one to listen to musically - and from Ja Rule that's enough to get by."[8] Timothy Gunatilaka of Entertainment Weekly found love ballads like "Passion" and "Wonderful" suitable for Ja Rule, concluding that they "suggest he might want to stick to raspy romanticism."[1] AllMusic editor Jason Birchmeier said that the album continued the depletion of Ja's relevance in hip-hop, stating, "And so the downfall goes—tragic, indeed, or not, depending on how affecting you find the pathos at work."[6] Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club found Ja's reliance on emulating "2Pac's tortured-thug persona" to craft mildly amusing "overwrought melodrama" overlong throughout the record and exacerbated further through "anonymous production, irritating skits, and [the kind of] raspy shower-stall warbling."[10]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[11]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The Inc. Intro"Jeffrey AtkinsJa Rule2:20
2."Last of The Mohicans" (featuring Black Child)4:24
3."Wonderful" (featuring R. Kelly & Ashanti)
4:31
4."What's My Name" (featuring Ashanti)
  • Atkins
  • Smith
  • Lorenzo
  • Bob James
  • Jimi Kendrix
  • Irv Gotti
4:26
5."New York" (featuring Fat Joe & Jadakiss)
4:18
6."Stripping Game" (skit) (removed from edited version)  1:15
7."The Manual"
  • Atkins
  • Smith
  • Lorenzo
  • Jimi Kendrix
  • Irv Gotti
  • Francion Corbett[a]
4:18
8."Get It Started" (featuring Claudette Ortiz)
  • Atkins
  • Smith
  • Lorenzo
  • Jimi Kendrix
  • Irv Gotti
4:00
9."R.U.L.E."
  • Jimi Kendrix
  • Irv Gotti
3:37
10."True Story" (skit)Richard WilsonDat Nigga Reb0:30
11."Caught Up" (featuring Lloyd)
  • Atkins
  • Smith
  • Lorenzo
  • Bryan Attmore
  • Jimi Kendrix
  • Irv Gotti
  • Boogz[a]
4:29
12."Gun Talk" (featuring Black Child)
  • Atkins
  • Gill
  • A. Parker
  • Lorenzo
  • Chink Santana
  • Irv Gotti
4:30
13."Never Thought"
  • Atkins
  • A. Parker
  • Lorenzo
  • Jimi Kendrix
  • Irv Gotti
4:42
14."Life Goes On" (featuring Trick Daddy & Chink Santana)
  • Chink Santana
  • Irv Gotti
4:52
15."Weed" (skit) (removed from edited version)
  • Wilson
  • Artie Green
Dat Nigga Reb1:55
16."Where I'm From" (featuring Lloyd)
  • Atkins
  • Lloyd Polite
  • A. Parker
  • Green
  • Demetrius McGhee
  • Lorenzo
  • Chink Santana
  • Irv Gotti
5:11
17."Bout My Business" (featuring Caddillac Tah, Black Child & Young Merc)
  • Atkins
  • Raymond Grant
  • Richard Grant
  • Lorenzo
  • Taheem Crocker
  • Gill
  • Jeffery Crocker
  • Simon Haseley
  • DJ Twinz
  • Irv Gotti[a]
3:39
18."Passion"
  • Atkins
  • Smith
  • Lorenzo
  • Jimi Kendrix
  • Irv Gotti
  • Boogz[a]
8:37
Japan bonus track
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
19."Better Days"Jimi Kendrix4:37

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer.

Sample credits

  • "R.U.L.E" - Contains a sample of "They Ain't JE" performed by Jagged Edge.
  • "Bout My Business" - Contains a sample of "Hogan's Thing" performed by Simon Haseley.
  • "New York" - Contains a sample of "100 Guns" performed by Boogie Down Productions.
  • "Where I'm From" - Contains a sample of "The Boys of Summer" performed by Don Henley.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2004–05) Peak
position
Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)[12] 10
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[13] 34
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[14] 8
French Albums (SNEP)[15] 116
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16] 44
Irish Albums (IRMA)[17] 67
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[18] 46
Scottish Albums (OCC)[19] 56
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[20] 50
UK Albums (OCC)[21] 33
US Billboard 200[22] 7
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[23] 3
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[24] 3

Year-end charts

Chart (2005) Position
US Billboard 200[25] 150
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[26] 46

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[27] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[28] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b c Gunatilaka, Timothy (November 26, 2004). "R.U.L.E." Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  2. ^ "Ja Rule: 'Wonderful'". Radio & Records. No. 1573. September 17, 2004. p. 43.
  3. ^ "R.U.L.E.: Ja Rule: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  4. ^ Written by Joe D'Angelo (2004-11-17). "News : Eminem Shreds The Competition, Even With A Premature Encore". CMT. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  5. ^ "Rapper Ja Rule releasing first album in 3 years". Reuters. 7 October 2007.
  6. ^ a b Birchmeier, Jason. "R.U.L.E. - Ja Rule". AllMusic. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  7. ^ a b Tindal, K.B. (November 24, 2004). "Ja Rule - R.U.L.E." HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  8. ^ a b Juon, Steve 'Flash' (November 9, 2004). "Ja Rule :: R.U.L.E. :: Def Jam". RapReviews. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  9. ^ Jones, Steve (November 8, 2004). "Elton John's 'Peachtree Road': An unforgettable joy ride". USA Today. Gannett. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  10. ^ Rabin, Nathan (January 17, 2005). "Purple Haze/R.U.L.E." The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  11. ^ R.U.L.E. (booklet). The Inc., Def Jam. 2004.
  12. ^ "ARIA Urban Chart – Week Commencing 7th March 2005" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association (784): 17. March 7, 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2023 – via Pandora Archive.
  13. ^ "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. November 25, 2004. Archived from the original on December 14, 2004. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  14. ^ "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. December 2, 2004. Archived from the original on December 6, 2004. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  15. ^ "Lescharts.com – Ja Rule – R.U.L.E". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  16. ^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
  17. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 46, 2004". Chart-Track. IRMA.
  18. ^ "ルール" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  19. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  20. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Ja Rule – R.U.L.E". Hung Medien.
  21. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  22. ^ "Ja Rule Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  23. ^ "Ja Rule Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  24. ^ "Ja Rule Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  25. ^ "Year-End Charts: Billboard 200 Albums - 2005". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  26. ^ "Year-End Charts: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - 2005". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  27. ^ "British album certifications – Ja Rule – R.U.L.E." British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  28. ^ "American album certifications – Ja Rule – R.U.L.E." Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
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