The Last Temptation
His inexplicable top-tier popularity notwithstanding, Ja Rule has developed into something of an oddity among today's pack of commercial rappers. Murder Inc.'s eager young cash cow is an MC whose ability to sound like 2Pac conflicts with his urge to sing like Donny Hathaway, and these two seemingly disparate influences firmly butt heads. Songs like the Ashanti-accented "Mesmerize" and the downtempo "Rock Star" showcase Ja's wobbly baritone croon, while "Thug Lovin'" (featuring the authentic thug crooner, Bobby Brown) and "Murder Me" display his patented hip-hop growl. In keeping with Murder Inc.'s domination of mainstream airwaves, the vibe here is strictly midtempo R&B, aside from the exceedingly shrill synth-and-drum-machine styling of the Neptunes-laced "Pop N****s" and the prefab grimness that permeates "The Warning." Young'uns mightn't notice, but the samples utilized on The Last Temptation, including Toto's "Africa" (on "Murder Reigns") and "Funky Sensation" (on the title track), are extremely unsubtle. Those who were raised on foundation hip-hop might do better to look elsewhere. --Rebecca Levine

Rule 3:36 [EXPLICIT LYRICS]
Don't let the rough exterior and the propensity to rhyme about acts of violence and criminal activities fool ya. No sir, Ja Rule is a lover and girl he's gonna make you love him. Make you as in wear you down and render you defenseless against his almost nonstop and thereby "persuasive" presentations of the pros of loving a thug. He might be crude, he might be loud (hell is he loud) and his flow might make DMX's canine fixations seem like subtle artistry. But be he rapping or be he semi-sing-songy vocalizing, Ja Rule's brand of rough-and-tough love gets under your skin. OK, it also starts to get on your nerves, but what Mr. Rule lacks in finesse he makes up for in intensity. Musically, his sophomore CD, with its stutter-stop break-point beats and its rich, resonant sound is nothing to ignore. Which must be why the first single, the off-kilter "Between Me and You," is so successful. This isn't groundbreaking or even significant stuff, but Ja's raspy roar has a certain appeal. While said appeal is geared towards men in the joint and the women who stand by them, you can't hate on a guy for trying, in his own way, to show a little love in this cold, cold world. --Amy Linden

Turn It Up
Rappers Pras and Ja Rule star as Diamond and Gage, drug-dealing buddies on the mean streets of New York, in this energetic but hopelessly muddled hip-hop crime thriller. You've seen it all before: the childhood street pals hit the crisis point when Diamond wants to go straight and hot-headed Gage aspires to become the baddest gangsta on the block. Ja Rule plays the loose cannon bad boy Gage with pent-up anger and a bullying sneer, a firecracker next to burnt-out match Pras, whose commitment-shy suffering artist has a sleepy, withdrawn blandness until he's out on the streets. "I can't guarantee I'll be there for you," Diamond lamely sputters to his pregnant girlfriend before heading back out for a night of music and gunplay, coming to life with two-fisted ferocity as he coolly empties clip after clip into rival gangs. Director-screenwriter Robert Adetuyi never worries about reconciling the two sides of Diamond, and the contradictory clich?s about loyalty and responsibility are delivered without a trace of irony. The John Woo-inspired action scenes are the highlights of the film, flashy, high-energy explosions of excitement that reveal Diamond as a cool-headed, criminally sharp gangster at heart. He just doesn't know it, and the film is too embarrassed to admit it. This glib, sense-numbing action fantasy coasts on the energy of the action and the music while having it both ways: violence without personal consequences and decisions without repercussions. --Sean Axmaker