R.U.L.E. | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 9, 2004 | |||
Recorded | 2003–04 | |||
Genre | Hip hop [1] | |||
Length | 71:30 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
| |||
Ja Rule chronology | ||||
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Singles from R.U.L.E. | ||||
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).
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [6] |
Entertainment Weekly | C+ [1] |
HipHopDX | [7] |
RapReviews | 7/10 [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]
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [11]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Inc. Intro" | Jeffrey Atkins | Ja Rule | 2:20 |
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) |
|
| 4:26 |
5. | "New York" (featuring Fat Joe & Jadakiss) |
|
| 4:18 |
6. | "Stripping Game" (skit) (removed from edited version) | 1:15 | ||
7. | "The Manual" |
|
| 4:18 |
8. | "Get It Started" (featuring Claudette Ortiz) |
|
| 4:00 |
9. | "R.U.L.E." |
|
| 3:37 |
10. | "True Story" (skit) | Richard Wilson | Dat Nigga Reb | 0:30 |
11. | "Caught Up" (featuring Lloyd) |
|
| 4:29 |
12. | "Gun Talk" (featuring Black Child) |
|
| 4:30 |
13. | "Never Thought" |
|
| 4:42 |
14. | "Life Goes On" (featuring Trick Daddy & Chink Santana) |
|
| 4:52 |
15. | "Weed" (skit) (removed from edited version) |
| Dat Nigga Reb | 1:55 |
16. | "Where I'm From" (featuring Lloyd) |
|
| 5:11 |
17. | "Bout My Business" (featuring Caddillac Tah, Black Child & Young Merc) |
|
| 3:39 |
18. | "Passion" |
|
| 8:37 |
No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
19. | "Better Days" | Jimi Kendrix | 4:37 |
Notes
Sample credits
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
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. |
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