Ja Rule - Rule 3:36 (CD)

All Music Guide

On his second album, Rule 3:36, Ja Rule makes only slight modifications to his style, yet they're nonetheless notable. His debut album, Venni Vetti Vecci (1999), had been harsh. Modeling himself to a certain extent after DMX, Ja represented the East Coast thug life, best exemplified by his "it's murda" trademark holler. What set him apart from your average thug rapper, though, was his self-consciousness -- he was a spiritually tormented thug. Still, tormented or not, he was a thug and not the sort of character that radio or general audiences were willing to grasp. For the most part, Ja remains that way on Rule 3:36. But there are a few moments here when he drops his tough-guy facade and becomes vulnerable -- even if it's only the slightest sense. It's these moments nonetheless that make Rule 3:36 an improvement over Venni Vetti Vecci. Furthermore, these same moments are what transformed him from just another wannabe DMX into a potential crossover artist and, even better, a rapper with ...a unique sense of character. To be more specific, the aforementioned moments are the duets: "Between You and Me," "Put It on Me," and "I Cry." Sure, these songs are obvious commercial efforts, calculated perfectly for crossover radio play, but they also bring a welcome sense of variety to Rule 3:36. Venni Vetti Vecci didn't have lighter moments like these and catered to a niche audience as a result; on the contrary, this album has both lighter moments for radio and tougher moments for the thug crowd, and caters to a crossover audience as a result. - Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide Read more Less