Venni Vetti Vecci (1999) was met with critical and commercial success, receiving platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) he followed up with his second and third albums Rule 3:36 (2000) and Pain Is Love (2001), both of which topped the US Billboard 200.

Billboard Hot 100 chart, including his number one hit ' Always on Time' (featuring Ashanti), his guest appearances on Jennifer Lopez's ' I'm Real (Murder Remix)' and ' Ain't It Funny'-both of which topped the Hot 100-as well as ' Between Me and You' (featuring Christina Milian), ' Mesmerize' (featuring Ashanti), and ' Wonderful' (featuring R. Born and raised in New York City, he signed with Murder Inc Records to release his debut album Venni Vetti Vecci (1999), which spawned his first single ' Holla Holla.' Until 2005, Ja Rule released numerous hit songs which peaked within the top 20 of the U.S. (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule ( / dʒ ɑː r uː l/), is an American rapper.