Review of Ja Rule's "The Last Temptation"

[Guest Hogan Made Wrestling]

From 411wrestling.com

 

Ja Rule - The Last Temptation Review

Posted By Aaron Cameron on 02.03.03

It's no secret among rap fans that the memory of Tupac Shakur has been exploited and pillaged past the point of no return. On one hand, there's his mother Afeni and his former Death Row Records boss, Suge Knight. Together, they've executive produced most of Pac's posthumous releases (over a half dozen, to date) in an attempt to cash in on his dated catalog.

 

On the other hand, there are a handful of artists who have attempted to fill the void that Tupac left by completely aping his flow, delivery and image. With apologies to clowns like C-Murder, Krazy, Tha Realest and Lil' Zane, nobody has the ersatz Tupac act down better than Ja Rule.

 

Ja Rule's latest attempt to cash in on a ghost is called The Last Temptation. Never before has an album been so brazen in its attempt to rip off from a more talented artist. In keeping with Tupac's Makaveli tone, all of the artwork and insert photos have Ja clutching rosaries, leaning inside a church or actually being "baptized". This is a none-too-subtle nod to the first of Shakur's after-death offerings in which he's depicted in a crucifixion scene on the album cover.

 

The opening track is a duet with the washed up Bobby Brown. Thug Lovin' had to be one of those concepts that sounded better on paper than on wax. Brown, the self-professed "King of R&B" hasn't had a hit since the Ghostbusters II soundtrack in 1989. His scratchy wailing isn't helped by the pathetic "girl, come back" subject matter or Ja telling us what a good lay he is.

 

Shockingly, even a more relevant and up-to-date guest shot by The Neptunes also fails. Their clunky production on Pop N****s is reminiscent of something found on a Master P album in the late '90s. Ja does manage to squeeze in a famous Tupac line about "hittin' b*tches likes switches" and a DMX diss amongst a slew of nonsensical ramblings of general thuggery.

 

Pac himself has a bizarre cameo on the remix to The Pledge. He only pops up at the end of the song, as Ja Rule gives something to all the Death Row fans who cream whenever their hero, Suge Knight is mentioned ("What up, Suge!"). Rule #4 of basic hip hop reads that you shouldn't sample an established rap single. Ja goes three steps further by sampling the classic So Many Tears, stealing more word-for-word lines from Shakur and having the gall to claim that if Pac were still alive, the two of them would "ride together". Nas also appears here and manages to outshine Ja with just one verse.

 

Now, not to be completely negative here, but can any one of my readers explain the allure of Ashanti? She is definitely fine. I'm talkin' sell-your-soul fine. However, she's completely a product of the studio. Have you ever heard her live? She has no range, no pitch and the benefit of a ton of post-production vocal "sweetening".

 

Hey, it's worked for J-Lo. Still, Ashanti adds nothing but a been-there-done-that feel to The Pledge. Even lower on the quality scale is the latest single Mesmerize. Ja Rule and Ashanti "sing" a duet that is so mind-numbingly awful, you'll want to listen to it twice. Think of a car wreck you just can't look away from. Ja's lyrical content peaks with lines like "You be my down ass/wit'cha round ass".

 

When Ja isn't sampling from the Tupac catalog, he finds time to borrow liberally from many other familiar pop hits. Rule and his crew spit nothingness on Murder Me which leans on the sound of the older Anniversary. Elsewhere, the original Africa is on loan for Murder Reigns. Give the hook one listen and I'll bet you're asking for your money back.

 

OK, this isn't all garbage, all the time. Charli Baltimore sounds really tight on the title track, which is actually a decent little party jam with an old-school vibe. New inmates on Tha Row Records, Eastwood and Crooked I sound ok on Connected.

 

That's about as good as it gets, though. Ja Rule consistently lowers the bar with one horrid verse (rapping or singing) after another. When he's not, it's his array of guests who come down to his level. Here's a keeper from Cadillac Tah: "Caddy gotta sprong/daddy long shlong/how we get it on/like Pong".

 

 

The 411 .::. Hip hop is full of artists who sell tons of records, but no one can figure out how they do it. Ja Rule is the poster child for this concept. The Last Temptation covers every tired rap cliché in the book and offers absolutely nothing new in the way of production or lyrical content. An artist as talentless as Ja Rule needs much stronger beats and more impressive cameos to cover his many shortcomings as a rapper. He's forced to carry far too much of the load and by the second or third track, it's obvious that this album is going to be nearly an hour of empty noise. It would be nice to hear Ja Rule not trying so hard to emulate a dead man.

 

 

Final Score: 1.5

[Guest KingOfOldSchool]

The 411 .::. Hip hop is full of artists who sell tons of records, but no one can figure out how they do it. Ja Rule is the poster child for this concept. The Last Temptation covers every tired rap cliché in the book and offers absolutely nothing new in the way of production or lyrical content. An artist as talentless as Ja Rule needs much stronger beats and more impressive cameos to cover his many shortcomings as a rapper. He's forced to carry far too much of the load and by the second or third track, it's obvious that this album is going to be nearly an hour of empty noise. It would be nice to hear Ja Rule not trying so hard to emulate a dead man.

 

And you just know it'll sell millions of copies. I usually stay away from bitching about mainstream acts, but Ja Rule is without a doubt, among the talentless of them all. Ugh.

[Zetterberg is God 0]

With his crappy-ass voice, everytime he tries to really sing (not rap), I cringe and wonder why God punishes us with his "music."

[Guest razazteca]

Ja Rule would get shot down if Simon of American Idol did a Ghetto Thug Idol show.

 

this is a case where image sells everything and talent is nowhere to be found.

[Guest Still Fly]

Im sick and tired of this shit. What the hell has Ja Rule done to get the wrath of the internet? maybe because he is popular? Maybe because hes sucessfull. If you wanna see 2Pac rip offs like no further than DMX. But everyone loves DMX, so he does no wrong. Speakin of rip offs look at Jay-Z. The guy is a Biggie Smalls wannabe. All he does is fuckin rip off Biggie. Just listen to his songs. Its got nothing but Biggie references. But Jay-Z is not hated. Why? Is it because Ja Rule does Rap and R&B songs.

 

But granted, i do not like all of Ja Rules songs. I like him because he is different. But the rampant negativty of so called rap critics is tired and old. If you dont like him than more power to you, but im just really feed up about this negativaty from the rap critics about everyone not named Jay-Z. Just read the Source and tell me there not biased.

[Guest razazteca]

well Ja Rule mark, if it was not for Ashanti, Ja Rule would not be sell anything at all. The only thing that is selling Ja Rule's cds are the cameos of average R&B singers and flavor of the month producers whose beats should be loud to over shadow the worst voice in the music business.

 

If you want to hear some real Rap & RNB then look for Method Man & Mary J Blige song All I Need or the Method Man and Missy Elliot song Bring da Pain.

 

Why the love for DMX:

 

1) better 2Pac clone

2) Ruff Ryders are better than Murder Inc

3) DMX movies make more money and he is a better actor

[Guest IDrinkRatsMilk]

DMX can growl just like a dog if he wants to. It's uncanny. And Snow is a better rapper than Ja Rule. Seriously.

[Guest KingOfOldSchool]

I don't see how DMX is really a 2Pac clone. He depicts the street image, but Ja Rule is now deliberately ripping off the 'sensitive thug' image to it's full extent, much more than DMX ever has.

 

And the r&b duos, to me, means that Rule doesn't have the talent to get his own image across by himself. So he gets a good beat, teams with the singer of the moment (Jennifer Lopez, Ashanti), and there's your hit. It's reason enough for me to dislike him.

[Guest ant_7000]

Im sick and tired of this shit. What the hell has Ja Rule done to get the wrath of the internet? maybe because he is popular? Maybe because hes sucessfull. If you wanna see 2Pac rip offs like no further than DMX. But everyone loves DMX, so he does no wrong. Speakin of rip offs look at Jay-Z. The guy is a Biggie Smalls wannabe. All he does is fuckin rip off Biggie. Just listen to his songs. Its got nothing but Biggie references. But Jay-Z is not hated. Why? Is it because Ja Rule does Rap and R&B songs.

 

But granted, i do not like all of Ja Rules songs. I like him because he is different. But the rampant negativty of so called rap critics is tired and old. If you dont like him than more power to you, but im just really feed up about this negativaty from the rap critics about everyone not named Jay-Z. Just read the Source and tell me there not biased.

Its seems that I touch this everytime a Ja Rule thread is up, That is he taking the 2pac image/songs too the extreme. I then Ja had the nerve to say that him and Pac would be friends and shit. If Pac was alive he would clown Ja's bitch ass. I mean I thought Ja had potential when Venni Vetti Vecci album came out and then he sold out right after and now blames us black folks for not supporting his garbage albums, all I gotta to say make better songs and I think 50 Cent going to end his career after he got that gay hairstylist that supposed to been sleeping with Ja on his album. As your thing with Jay-Z, I think Jay-Z doesn't have to bite other people stuff because he's talented in his own right (i.e. Meet the Parents). As far as DMX being a Pac clone I don't see it as lyric-wise but DMX feeds off his emotions as well but not like Pac like levels like Ja Rule.

[Guest razazteca]

Ja Rule recent albums sound just like 2Pacs All Eyes on Me, with all of the R&B singing and with a 3rd rate thug who needs to clear his throat.

[Guest Still Fly]

Um Razateca, Ja Rule sold many albums before Ashanti was even a factor in Murder Inc. Ever heard of Venni Vetti Vecci or Rule 3:36. Im in no way a Ja Rule mark and I even think some of his songs stink. I like the Ja Rule from 1999-2001 and now I think hes okay and has a few good songs. Hey like i said if you dont like Ja Rule more power to you, im just someone that doesnt mind him. I just think his music is inoffensive to me thats all.

 

The reason I dont like Jay-Z is because he dares to compare himself to Biggy Smalls. Jay-Z has nothing on Biggy Smalls and even trying to compare himself to him is just stupid to me. As a rapper, I dont think Jay-Z is the greatest thing since sliced bread like the Source would have you believe.

 

By the way, Ja Rule did just fine without Ashanti or Jennifer Lopez in Venni Vitti Vecci and Rule 3:36.

[Guest razazteca]

Ja Rule's 1st big hit was with Jay-Z on that song from Rush Hour Can I Get A then got his 1st solo hit with Holla Holla which was good for the video then the Murder Inc cliq started and Ja Rule went back to being a back up rapper but this time for ghetto fab R&B singers.

 

Ja Rule's voice is terrible, if you like that raspy style then go find Mystical or Master P or Buster Rhymes as they can make the voice gimmick work and flow with the music.

 

The only people buying the recent Ja Rule album are girls who like the thug gimmick.