Jeffrey Bruce Atkins Sr., better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper. 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. Billboard Hot 100 chart, including his number one hit "Always on Time", his guest appearances on Jennifer Lopez's "I'm Real " and "Ain't It Funny"—both of which topped the Hot 100—as well as "Between Me and You", "Mesmerize", and "Wonderful".
Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas is an American singer and actress. She was first discovered as a teenager and later signed to Murder Inc. Records in 2002. That year, she was featured on Fat Joe's "What's Luv?" and Ja Rule's "Always on Time", both of which were among the two of the biggest hit songs of 2002. She became the first female artist to occupy the top two positions on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart simultaneously with "Foolish" and "What's Luv?" at numbers one and two, respectively.
Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr., professionally known as Irv Gotti, is an American DJ, music producer and record executive. He co-founded the record label Murder Inc. Records in 1998, which was an imprint of Def Jam Recordings. He received production credits for most recordings by artists of whom signed to the label—including Ja Rule, Lloyd, and Ashanti—as well as other artists such as Jennifer Lopez, DMX, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Fat Joe, and Eve, among others. Gotti is also the creator of the BET series Tales.
18 is the sixth studio album by American electronica musician, songwriter, and producer Moby. It was released on May 13, 2002, by Mute Records in the UK and on May 14, 2002, by V2 Records in the US. After the unexpected commercial and critical success of his previous album, Play (1999), Moby started to write songs for a follow-up during its supporting tour. He started work on the album at its conclusion in December 2000, using fewer samples than before. Guest vocalists include Azure Ray, MC Lyte, Angie Stone, and Sinéad O'Connor.
Venni Vetti Vecci is the debut studio album by American rapper Ja Rule. It was released on June 1, 1999, by Def Jam Recordings and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records. It was the first album to be released on Murder Inc. Production was mostly handled by Irv Gotti, with additional work provided by Lil Rob, Ty Fyffe, Erick Sermon and Self Service. The album features guest appearances from Jay-Z, DMX, Case, Memphis Bleek, Black Child, Ronald Isley and Erick Sermon, among others. The album title alludes to the Latin phrase "veni, vidi, vici", meaning "I came, I saw, I conquered".
The Natural is the debut studio album by American rapper Mic Geronimo. It was released on October 17, 1995, via Blunt Recordings/TVT Records. Production was handled by Mark Sparks, Buckwild, Irv Gotti, Da Beatminerz and Chyskillz. It features guest appearances from Royal Flush, Murder Inc., O.C. and the Lost Boyz. It peaked at number 144 on the Billboard 200. The album spawned four singles: "Shit's Real", "Masta I.C.", "The Natural" and "Wherever You Are".
Murder Inc. was an American East Coast hip hop supergroup, formed by New York record executive Irv Gotti in 1995. The trio was composed of three of the most prominent rappers in the music industry at the time, Jay-Z, DMX, and Ja Rule. The trio first appeared on fellow New York–based rapper Mic Geronimo's song "Time to Build". The trio went on to appear on the cover of the June 1999 issue of American hip-hop magazine XXL.
"Jam for the Ladies" is a song by American electronica musician Moby. It was released as the sixth and final single from his sixth studio album 18 on July 21, 2003. The song features guest vocals from rapper MC Lyte and R&B singer Angie Stone and incorporates a vocal sample from "Wherever You Are" by Mic Geronimo. The single version is a collaboration with American rapper Princess Superstar. In reference to its number of collaborators, Moby has described "Jam for the Ladies" as a "crowded song". The song's music video was directed by Simon and Jon and later included on 18 B Sides + DVD.
"Bodyrock" is a song by American electronica musician Moby. It was released as the third single from his fifth studio album Play on July 12, 1999. Heavily inspired by hip hop music, the song incorporates vocal samples from "Love Rap" by Spoonie Gee and the Treacherous Three. The single peaked at number 38 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Ain't No Nigga" is the second single from the American rapper Jay-Z's first album, Reasonable Doubt, and is featured on the soundtrack to the 1996 film The Nutty Professor. It was released on March 19, 1996. The track features Foxy Brown, and uncredited vocals by Jaz-O.
"Holla Holla" is the first single by the American rapper Ja Rule from his first studio album, Venni Vetti Vecci (1999). It was produced by Taiwan "Tai" Green and Irv Gotti. The music video was directed by Hype Williams and Irv Gotti.
"Shit's Real", also known by its censored title "It's Real", is the first single released by rapper Mic Geronimo. It appears on his debut studio album The Natural (1995).
"Masta I.C." is the second single released from Mic Geronimo's debut album, The Natural.
"Wherever You Are" is the fourth and final single released from Mic Geronimo's debut album, The Natural. Produced by Mark Sparks, "Wherever You Are" was the least successful of the album's four singles, peaking at 43 on the Hot Rap Singles. It was sampled in American electronica musician Moby's 2003 single "Jam for the Ladies".
"Nothin' Move But the Money" is the lead single released from Mic Geronimo's second album, Vendetta.
Murder Inc. Records, LLC, also abbreviated as The Inc. Records, is an American record label founded by brothers Chris and Irv Gotti in 1998. The label's flagship artist was Ja Rule. According to Chris Gotti, Murder Inc. had sold over 30 million units worldwide and grossed over $500 million. Murder Inc. was headquartered at One Worldwide Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York, while their main studio was The Crackhouse, also located in New York City.
Run-DMC was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, formed in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture and especially one of the most famous hip hop acts of the 1980s. Along with Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, and Public Enemy, the group pioneered new-school hip hop music and helped usher in the golden age of hip hop. The group was among the first to highlight the importance of the MC and DJ relationship.
"Flava in Ya Ear" is a song by American rapper Craig Mack. It was released as the lead single from his debut studio album Project: Funk da World on July 26, 1994, by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. It was remixed with the addition of rappers The Notorious B.I.G., Rampage, LL Cool J and Busta Rhymes.
LaVita Raynor, known simply as Vita, is an American rapper, songwriter and actress. Raynor is perhaps best known for her role as Kionna, Tommy "Buns" Bundy's "mistress" in the 1998 crime drama film Belly. As a rapper, Raynor is known for her appearances on the songs "Lapdance" by N.E.R.D, "Put It on Me" by Ja Rule, and "Down 4 U" by Irv Gotti. In 2014, Raynor was included in Billboard's list of the "31 Female Rappers Who Changed Hip-Hop".
Chylow Parker, known by the stage name Chyskillz, was an American record producer, DJ, musician, rapper and a member of multi-platinum hardcore rap group Onyx.
