Rapper Ja Rule Gets Ready to Release 7th Solo Album and 6th Attempt At A Comeback Album But Not Before He Shares What's Fucking Up America

And I quote:

"Dating shows that's showing two guys or two girls in mid-afternoon. Let's talk about s--t like that! If that's not f--king up America, I don't know what is."---Rapper Ja Rule, SOHH.com

Funny, all this time I thought President Bush was f--king up America.  Go figure.

The statement above is from rapper Ja Rule on the September 25th Congressional hearing on the lyrical content and imagery of African-American women in hip-hop.

According to SOHH.com, in a recent interview with Complex Magazine, Ja Rule decided to get political.

"They got my man Doug Morris under fire and @#!*, they got him going down to go speak to Congress about hip-hop lyrics, are you @#*$ing serious?" Ja said. "There's a f--king black kid right now about to get 25 years for having a fight with some white kids over hanging the nooses over the white tree, let's get to that. Let's get into sh-t like that, because that's what's tearing up America, not me calling a woman a b--ch or a h-e on my rap songs."

"And if it is, then we need to go step to Paramount, and f--king MGM, and all of these other motherf--kers that's making all of these movies and we need to go step to MTV and Viacom, and lets talk about all these f--king shows that they have on MTV that is promoting homosexuality, that my kids can't watch this sh-t," he continued. "Dating shows that's showing two guys or two girls in mid-afternoon. Let's talk about s--t like that! If that's not f--king up America, I don't know what is."

"There's a lot of issues we can address besides hip-hop, but they want to put everything on us like we're the problem," Ja added. "This is going to be a shameless f--king plug, but I said, 'when everyone wants to point the finger, and ask why there's so much corruption, they only need to look in the mirror.' It starts with themselves."

Oh where to start?

Ja is right in his reference to the Jena 6 case going on in Louisiana right now regarding the 6 Black kids on trial after a fight broke out regarding the hanging of nooses on their school campus. 

However, that doesn’t mitigate the fact that Ja calling women b---hes and h--s in his rap songs is contributing to the destruction of the Black race.  Because not only are his lyrics being heard by Black children who then by virtue of the song’s popularity began to use those same words when referring to women, but he’s also holding the same door open that Don Imus stepped through.  Ja Rule and rappers like him that condone the use of derogatory terms to refer to women, in particular Black women, are telling not only Black America that it’s okay to use those words but they’re also giving the okay to people of other races to use the same language when referring to Black women.

I remember clearly the endless arguments from whites on national television during the Imus controversy about it being ok because “they,” meaning Blacks, use the same words.

As for MTV promoting gays, Ja clearly has an issue with gay people and it’s a poor argument and an even poorer comparison.

Instead of taking responsibility for using these words, Ja Rule wants to point the finger at the gay community and blame gays for all that ails America. 

But what Ja fails to recognize is that the Congressional hearing is about the stereotypes and degradation of Black women (key word) in hip-hop and the entertainment industry, and not about gays on television.

Before Ja started talking out the left side of his mouth, he might have taken some time to come up with a better argument.  Perhaps focusing on the film studios for the limited roles available to Black women, as in, why do Black female actors always end up playing roles of prostitutes, drug addicts, welfare mothers, etc? 
Gays aren’t the reason that many Black families live below the poverty line.  Lesbians aren’t the reason that our prisons are overflowing with young Black men and women.  Can’t blame gays for the senseless gang violence in the our neighborhoods that is and continues to take the lives of many Black men.  And it’s unfair to blame gays for the number of Blacks that are unemployed in America. Oh, and gays weren’t the reason that in 2003, he punched a man in Toronto for shouting at him in a crowd because of the 50 Cent feud.  Nor were they the reason that in 2004, police investigated whether a feud involving The Inc. led to fatal shooting outside a nightclub party hosted by Ja Rule.  Now were they? 

But what about little 10 year-old Jerome Jenkins who is sitting in the back seat of the car singing along with his mom who is in the front driving bumping Ja Rule’s last hit song from 2001 “Livin’ It Up?”

Work with me for a minute…

Baby, this ain't your typical, everyday, one night thing
It's a physical, I'ma fuck you tonight thing
fuck, knowin your name, jump yo' ass in the Range
And roll over, gettin blown while blowin the doja
Bring head to a closure - that's a good bitch
Before it's all over, I'ma meat this bitch
Probably treat this bitch
, mo' betta
Cause if you ain't - know, thugs and ladies go together
Poppin my collar potnah - who in the spot?
Baby, Rule in the spot; and the mug and the watch ugly
Half the h--s hate me, half them love me
The ones that hate me only hate me cause they ain't fucked me
And they say I'm lucky; you think I got time
to fuck all these h--s and do all these shows?
Or flight in the llama chargin white Rolls
Uhh-oh, another episode…

…b---hes, just wanna hold a name that's active
That's why they suck dick with mo' passion than average
And I ain't mad at'cha; never leave you alone
Cause we fucks when I'm home, phone sex when I'm gone
We both grown, both got minds of our own
Plus I freaks off like O-Dog in "Love Jones"
Been in, many zones, baby one h--s, two h--s
From, prissy b---hes to h--s that do porno
But you know, the Rule be livin it up
And got all these h--s, givin it up
I like a, little ooh baby, how cute are you?
With a body that rides on sexual
I got a stick, I'll ride right next to you
Do a doughnut, and cut, then I'll open it up
On the freeway,dick in the mouth, foot on the clutch
Rule bitch, not givin a fuck

That was Ja in 2001, just imagine what words he’s added to his vocabulary in the last 6 years?

So little Jerome, thanks in part to Ja Rule, but mostly to his mother for playing it around him, learns at a young age that women are b---hes and h—s and are to be f---ked.  And hey, if momma is singing it and saying it, it must be so.  Right?

Now if you ask me, that’s what’s contributing to bringing down Black America.  Our kids are being taught from a young age, by the lyrics of rappers like Ja Rule and by parents who care more about bumpin’ their song, than the effects that hearing those lyrics day after day have on their children.

Ja  Rule will be releasing his seventh solo album and sixth attempt at a comeback this fall entitled “The Mirror” thanks to Universal Motown Records.

But I’d like to say that Ja Rule would do good to take his own advice and take a good long look in the mirror.  There’s got to be a reason why he’s been attempting a successful comeback album almost every year since the release of his first album.  Perhaps if he spent more time focusing on his own personal self development and leave the politics of hip-hop to the artists who actually make it on the charts, he wouldn’t have to stage a comeback year and year. 

There’s an old saying that goes: if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.  Somebody must have lied and told Ja he had the solution. 

Comments

[Javad Mashhadi]

i love jarule

[Javad Mashhadi]

I Love Ja Rule

[Boogie_Bangin]

What "heterosexual" men? Ja and people like him? OK, if you say so.
One might not be the greatest admirer of video vixen, Karine Stephens BUT she is right when she points out that a lot of these studio gangstas and thugs (read: hoes) are misguided men hopped up on all sorts of drugs who are questioning their sexuality. Very violently and Very hypocritical in their questioning too. But we let them get away with it so what can we expect.

[Brian]

I think Ja is right, he just didn't word it properly. From a religious perspective he is right. Maybe he should not have blaimed the gay community, but he is right about the wrongness of television promoting homosexuality. That is not bigotry, it's religious fact. I'm not saying i or anyone else is perfect, but thats just the way it is. Go Ja

[Mel Smith]

But guys, as black gay men, don't you just want these heterosexual men to shut the hell up sometimes? I'm tired of people making us their damn punching bag, at every opportunity they can get. Especially since most gay people do more for black communities than most of them do.

[Stuffed Animal]

"The problem with gangsta rap is only that women seem to think they know what men want."

Sounds to me like you've got a personal problem with women that has little or nothing to do with Gangsta Rap.

"Bitch" and "hoe" are words that can be turned either flat or sharp --"

Did you know that an angry woman's hand can also be either flat or sharp when it goes upside the head of a knuckleheaded man who's worked her nerves one too many times?

". . . the problem isn't the color of one's skin, or one's dna makeup; the problem is that a lot of women think they can dictate to men what's proper; and vice versa."

You really don't like women much, do you?

"If there are complaints, then direct them at the consolidators of community action."

Say what? In reference to what?

"Rap music seeks to draw folks back into local, one-on-one communication."

This is the kind of "communication" Gangsta Rap music draws people into: Young men with headphones on, pants hanging down around their knees, chanting along with lewd Rap lyrics in a loud voice as they swagger down the street. The "nigga" did this, the "hoe" did that, the "bitch" sucked my whatever. Lost in their own X-rated fantasy world, and cut off from reality.

"Often, women act like hoes -- just as often, men act like hoes as well. The problem isn't the words used; the problem is the activity."

No, the problem is the ghetto mentality that the words used by Gangsta rappers encourage, a mentality that you've evidently fallen victim to, and that has severely compromised your ability to express yourself in a coherent manner. You ain't laid out a damn thing here. All you've done is underscore the fact that ignorance knows no color barrier.

[Mel Smith]

I like your views, Ross. I dislike bullies.

[Ross]

I couldn't give a fuck if he calls women Bitches and hoes or saints. He didn't invent the terms and I honestly don't know why the writer is wasting so much energy specifically castigating Jah. It won't go away if he stops saying it.

But I do give a fuck about the fact that his perspective, (which he holds in common with the racist douche bags, conservotards and other assorted "real" Americans,) that of the macho, angry, masculinity obsessed, violence mongering, control game playing dickhead who bullies and otherwise dominates like a rabid pack of animals, is the only perspective that popular culture is allowed to express. From Rap, to cheesy rock music, to TV, to sports, to politics, the more "authentic" people believe you are, the more likely it is that you're homophobic, mistrustful of women, anti intellectual, vulgar, crude, prone to embracing violent solutions as a first resort, a bully, generally an anti social person who also happens to have an extremely high opinion of yourself. In other words, a total fucking asshole.

In general, American culture seems bent on promoting and celebrating the TFA as the epitome of real, authentic Americanism. The real issue is that the modern conception of "authenticity," in America, ranges from lying, vindictive republican bullies, to angry right wing comics who tell jokes exclusively meant to make weak, vulnerable people objects of ridicule or simply push immature buttons, to a single kind of rapper, to, well you get the point.

Basically, the problem is that Americans need to stop letting the TFA be our sole representative to the world. But, we won't. Because the TFA is nothing more than an angry clown who distracts the masses from actually caring about the real problems they're facing.

Also, Jah's music sucks, he's an asshole sexist, and a lazy, terrible lyricist and like all sexists, he's also a homophobe. Fuck him.

[Lord Hannibal]

China hand, great points.

Stuffed Animal, whatever.

[China hand]

I'm a white guy and i'm a lay it out --

The problem with gangsta rap is only that women seem to think they know what men want.

"Bitch" and "hoe" are words that can be turned either flat or sharp --

the problem isn't the color of one's skin, or ne's dna makeup; the problem is that a lot of women think they can dictate to men what's proper; and vice versa.

If there are complaints, then direct them at the consolidators of community action. Rap music seeks to draw folks back into local, one-on-one communication. Often, women act like hoes -- just as often, men act like hoes as well. The problem isn't the words used; the problem is the activity.

[Mel Smith]

I agree, Stuffed Animal.

[Stuffed Animal]

"Is there anyone who can say that if Ja and other rappers stopped using the so-called n-word, b*tch, h*, etc., that the problems that plague the black community would be resolved?"

How ludicruous, to claim that Gangsta Rap is the cause of every problem in the Black community! Nobody is saying that but you. Songs with language that demeans Black people isn't the cause of our problems, but it damn sure is one of the problems we face.

"People like to blame record companies and executives for the relative lack of popularity of "conscious" rap, but I submit that it doesn't sell because most black people, youth in particular, can't relate to it."

You're wrong. Socially responsible Rap doesn't sell because the labels, with the cooperation of many of their artists, promote the Hell out of the raunchy stuff, and most kids aren't going to go on a treasure hunt for good music. They're going to go after what's readily available. You want to believe youth can't relate to positive music, and that reveals the contempt you have for them.

"Ja is a SYMPTOM of the problem, not the problem in itself."

There isn't just one problem, there are several: Low self-esteem, lack of moral values, disrespect for Black life, fondness for disparaging language, artists with no sense of social responsibility, and others. Ja Rule is NOT a symptom. He is one of our problems, and he needs to be dealt with accordingly.

"The problem is the breakdown of the black family unit, specifically, "parents" who exert little to no authority over their children."

Yeah, parents like Ja Rule, whose lack of moral character undermines whatever parental authority he might want to lay claim to.

"I can't be the only one here who grew up listening to rap music. I haven't been in jail for attempted murder or possession with intent to sell. Have any of you? Now why is that?"

Now you're accusing people of arguing that Rap music is the cause of criminal activity. Again, you're the only one making such a ridiculous argument.

"And PLEASE give me a break on this whole misogyny angle. You wanna know what a misogynist really is? A man who hates women as much as women hate themselves."

A misogynist is a man who makes excuses for misogynist behavior that are so lame, you can see right through them!

[Mel Smith]

Here's the truth: black straight men need to shut the f@ck up sometimes(some of my straight family members included). They are still a group of people who are disliked by many for the color of their skin. Yet,some of them still cannot resist making derogatory statements about us. Although, they are treated like second class citizens. I don't know about you all, but I am tired of these straight people who think we are second class to them just because we don't have a heterosexual orientation. As a 27-year-old gay black male teacher, I give back to their children everyday. I bust my azz as a teacher to make sure that their children are successful, and I got to read comments about how they don't think I should exist in the world, because I'm not straight like them? I just wish they would just shut the f@ck up and stop dehumanizing us because we are not straight like them. I'm looking forward to the opportunity when I tell them in their face; shut the f@ck up and stop trying to diss us! I especially believe in freedom of speech. However, they don't think we got a right to exist and that's some dangerous sh!t. That's genocide freedom of speech. See, we black just like them. We ought to tell them in their face to shut the f@ck up.

[N.Athon]

I get overwhelmed with topics like these because, for me, it's always 'the chicken or the egg' scenario.

These issues are bigger than one person/industry, but . . . that shouldn't absolve everyone from their personal responsibility just because they're "part of the system", should it?

I mean, we gotta start somewhere . . . gotta start cleaning house as a 'community' somehow?

. . . but then again, I've never walked in this man's shoes. I don't know why he does/says the things he does (maybe the cause shouldn't matter if the action still harms me)? . . .

. . . my heads hurting. but I guess that's the point. lol

[Jerry Maneker]

This is the slightly edited reply I made to a friend of mine who sent me Jasmyne's excellent post. I know it may betray my seeming insensitivity to crucial issues affecting the Afro-American community, but I think it's crucial that the "victim" doesn't become the "persecutor" of his constructed "enemies," be they women and/or Gay people:

Has it come to this? What Ja Rule is undoubtedly too stupid to
know is that if there wasn't aggressive civil rights advocacy in the 1960's, he would be consigned to recording on "Race Records" that would be utter failures, as his "music" lacks any level of competence, regardless of area of assessment
one wants to use. Can you imagine comparing him to Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Son House, Lightnin' Hopkins, Bullet Williams, and so many other musicians worthy of the name who played on these Race Records. Now, a "musical" idiot can be the equivalent of an Andrew Dice Clay, appealing to the lowest common denominator, and be called not only a musician, but a very successful one, who inculcates a seeming self-loathing bravado onto young people, and who projects his own undoubtedly significant insecurities through both his own braggadocio as well as through his mysogyny and homophobia. Why anyone who has an ounce of decency in him/her would listen to his hatred and filth, and even justify it, escapes me. I'm more concerned about the mind-set of the people who listen to him and his ilk, than I am about his own psyche that is largely reinforced by his alleged "success" in selling his filth. Thanks for this. I haven't looked at Jasmyne's site for quite a while, and I plan on, again, regularly reading her stuff.

[Lord Hannibal]

Is there anyone who can say that if Ja and other rappers stopped using the so-called n-word, b*tch, h*, etc., that the problems that plague the black community would be resolved? Would the collective self-esteem of the black community suddenly improve? No and no. People like to blame record companies and executives for the relative lack of popularity of "conscious" rap, but I submit that it doesn't sell because most black people, youth in particular, can't relate to it.

Ja is a SYMPTOM of the problem, not the problem in itself. The problem is the breakdown of the black family unit, specifically, "parents" who exert little to no authority over their children.

I can't be the only one here who grew up listening to rap music. I haven't been in jail for attempted murder or possession with intent to sell. Have any of you? Now why is that?

And PLEASE give me a break on this whole misogyny angle. You wanna know what a misogynist really is? A man who hates women as much as women hate themselves.

[Stuffed Animal]

"Epithets and pejoratives predate rap music, rappers and critics of both."

So if we do something wrong, we can't be blamed for it because the wrong PREDATES us? Get real! That's just another lame excuse for not taking responsibility for what we do and say.

Jasmyne, you've got exactly the right take on Ja Rule's outburst. It's all about self-promotion. His comments are meant to appeal to all the knuckleheads out there likely to buy his Gangsta/raunch CRAP.

[realpeeplz]

You know, this reminds me of the Episode of Noah's Arc with Baby Gat marchin around tryin to prove how hetero (sp) he was,. You know, kissin up the girl from Half and half, smacking down drug dealers ..etc.. The moment he got any alone time with Noah though, he'd let his TRUE colors show.

Find Ja's Noah, and you'll exploit him for who he is.

[Tracey]

"Ja Rule is no more helping to destroy the black race with his lyrics than these so-called "conscious" artists are helping to uplift the black race with theirs"

Are you sure? What you are saying flies in the face of everything we know about words and their power. A verse, a string of words strewn together in just the right way can change a person's entire perspective On life. I don't know if it can change a whole community but surely you can't argue that they have no impact and cannot reinforce an ideal already held by someone or that it can make a person question their actions be they good or bad.

Talib Kweli's "Get By" uplifted me in moments when I thought I was going to give up on certain parts of my life so who is to say that negative rap doesn't play a role in keeping someone already in the midst of a personal struggle from making better decisions?

[Goody Puddy]

excellent blog girl! nothing else needs to be said!

[j]

all i can say is damn. if i ever find out he's one of these "dL" rappers i'm gonna do everything i can to expose him. and just when i thought he was a cool guy that got jerked around during the whole 50 cent wanksta thing. he really is a wanksta huh?

[boboso]

I'm all for the exercising of one's First Amendment rights, but let's be clear about what Ja Rule is defending. As is evident by the lyrics Jas provided (thanks, Jas, I had no idea how twisted this clown is because I rarely subject myself to hip-hop), we're talking about something I've termed "audio porn". Like video porn, there's a time and place for it: when children aren't around, behind closed doors. And like video porn it can be misogynist and those who produce it are whoring themselves. Fuck Ja.

[Lord Hannibal]

Ja Rule is no more helping to destroy the black race with his lyrics than these so-called "conscious" artists are helping to uplift the black race with theirs.

I really wish that members of the Committee on Cultural Correctness would GET OVER THEMSELVES! Epithets and pejoratives predate rap music, rappers and critics of both. The truth is that if rappers stopped using the terms that people are just so appalled by tonight, the black race would still be in dire straights. Real talk indeed.