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b. Jeff Atkins, 29 February 1976, Queens, New York City, New York, USA. A rival to DMX as the leading post-millennial hardcore rap artist, Ja Rule made his name on several tracks by his mentor Jay-Z. Raised in the Hollis district of Queens, Atkins made his first recorded appearance back in 1995 on a Mic Geronimo b-side. On the strength of this recording Atkins and his Cash Money Click collective signed a deal with Blunt/TVT Records. A solitary single, "Get The Fortune", was generated by this deal, and Ja Rule subsequently signed a solo contract with Murder Inc and Def Jam Records. His high-spirited contribution to Jay-Z's "Can I Get A … " attracted good notices, as did his work on the soundtracks to Streets Is Watching ("Murdergram') and Hype Williams" Belly. Ja Rule's distinctively gruff voice (which rivals even DMX's rasp) and loping flow helped make his debut Venni Vetti Vecci (an adaptation of the Latin saying "he came, he saw, he conquered) a classic of its kind. Radio favourites such as "Holla Holla", "It's Murda" and "World's Most Dangerous" hooked the hardcore audience, but spiritually-inclined album tracks such as "Daddy's Little Baby" and "Only Begotten Son" reveal a greater lyrical depth. The album became a multi-platinum success and established Ja Rule as a serious rival to Jay-Z and DMX. The next project he was involved in was also a runaway commercial success. Irv Gotti Presents Murderers, released under the Murderers moniker, featured contributions from Ja Rule, producer Gotti, Jay-Z, DMX, and several of Murder Inc's up-and-coming new rappers. Like most rap artists, Ja Rule has also developed a parallel acting career, making his movie debut alongside Pras in Robert Adetuyi's Turn It Up. His sophomore album, Rule 3:36, was recorded in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, which, despite lacking some of the rawness of his debut, went straight to the top of the US album chart in October 2000