Ja Rule, at one point in time, was on top of his game. With the success of Venni Vetti Vecci and a number of albums and collaborations, Ja Rule was the cash cow of Murder Inc. Then came 50 Cent, who was involved in one of the most publicized beefs in rap. 50 had dismantled Ja Rule with bullish tactics by questioning his toughness and if the lifestyle he claimed in his music reflected his actual day-to-day routines. 50 even had the nerve to talk about the thickness of Ashanti's sideburns.

Now present day, Ja Rule has decided to step back into the limelight to release his once shelved album, The Mirror, on his Empire Records label and is working on a mixtape with a slated release in 2010.

The question at hand is why the disappearance for so long?

I hope it wasn't because of 50 Cent because in actuality, the media just hyped the situation way too much and both rappers are complete opposites on the spectrum.

A major roadblock that I see happening in Ja Rule's newfound fame is gaining respect after the whole 50 Cent thing. Ja Rule just vanished without explanation. I can understand if he was trying to be the bigger person and not say anything but I mean it's been years since we've last seen or heard of Ja Rule. We couldn't get at least on single?

Whatever the case may be, I wish Ja Rule luck and I think that Pain Is Love was probably the best album of your collection.

- By Jeremy Carmona