Ja Rule- Biography

Standing at 5'6, and known for his baritone growls, Ja Rule is proving that big things come in small packages. Ja Rule, born Jeffrey Atkins, became part of the rap scene in 1995. But it wasn't until three years later when he signed a lucrative deal with Def Jam that his rising star began to shine. Living up to the unwritten rule of superstardom, Ja Rule began to take on television roles and feature projects. He made his feature debut in the hip hop drama "Turn it Up" (2000). But his breakout role came a year later when he was cast as Edwin in the summer blockbuster hit "The Fast And The Furious" (2001). In 2002, Ja Rule co-starred in "Half Past Dead," which also co-starred Steven Seagal and Morris Chestnut, an absurdly plotted action flick that was duly blasted by critics. After a bit role in the David Zucker directed "Scary Movie 3" (2003), Ja Rule appeared as Bling Bling in the low-brow comedy, "The Cookout" (2004). Then he returned to action as a small-time hustler forced into defending an abandoned police station against a gang of crooked cops in "Assault on Precinct 13" (2005), co-starring Ethan Hawke, Laurence Fishbourne, Brian Dennehy and Gabriel Byrne. Mixed reviews helped sink this mediocre rehash of John Carpenter's pulp thriller at the box office, where it failed to crack the top five its opening week.