Ja Rule Pain is Love Released 20 Years Ago Today

Ja Rule hit the hip hop scene in the late 90s when he was featured on Jay-Z’s Hard Knock Life album. Can I Get A… was the single and it was a hot song in 1998. Ja Rule released his debut, Venni Vetti Vecci the following year. The album went debuted #1 and it eventually went platinum. After the success of the debut, Ja Rule dropped his second album the next year. Rule 3:36 was the name and it made Ja Rule a superstar and household. Rule 3:36 also debuted #1 and it went triple platinum. Almost a year later, Ja Rule released his Pain is Love album to the masses. Pain is Love was released 20 years ago and it was another successful album from Ja Rule. 2Pac, Ashanti, Missy Elliott, Tweet, Jennifer Lopez, Case, and many more made appearances on the album.

Livin’ It Up was the first single from the album and it featured Case. The upbeat track was a nice and fun track from Ja. Livin’ It Up reached the top 5 on the Billboard charts for rap single. Always on Time was the second single released off Pain is Love. This was the first time we heard Ja Rule and Ashanti together on a track. Always on Time was a dope track and the track went #1 on the Billboard charts. Always on Time was released as a single about four weeks after the album dropped. The third and final single off the album featured Charli Baltimore and it was called Down Ass Bitch. For me, it was 3-for-3 with the singles Ja Rule released. Always on Time, Never Again, Down Ass Bitch, So Much Pain and Livin’ It Up are my top 5 tracks.

For me, this is Ja Rule’s best album and it made for a great three year run. During this time, Ja Rule was arguably the hottest rapper out as he was featured on a lot of other artists songs. Check out the track listing and stream links below for Pain is Love.