Ja Rule - Pain Is Love

Like rapper DMX, Ja Rule's scratchy vocal delivery is an acquired taste. But given the success of his Lil' Mo-aided hits "Put It on Me" and "I Cry," it's no surprise that his third album follows the same formula as its predecessor, as midtempo grooves mix with thugged-out beats and rhymes. On "Lost Little Girl," a coming-of-age tale that charts the struggles of an urban hottie, Rule's gift for storytelling shines bright. While "I'm Real (Murder Remix)," featuring Jennifer Lopez, is almost worth the purchase price alone, one must conclude that Rule is best appreciated in small doses. On "So Much Pain" Rule apes 2Pac's flow, rhyme patterns, and introspection to an annoying T. Likewise, "Down Ass Bitch" sadly sounds like another thematic take-off on Apache's "Gangsta Bitch" anthem. At least "Livin' It Up" doesn't bastardize Stevie Wonder's gem "Do I Do" too much, and the beats cooked up on "Pain Is Love" and the guitar-fuelled "Always on Time" saves this release from losing all of those cool points he's earned for being a great writer. This one's strictly for the Ja Rule-initiated. --Dalton Higgins Amazon.com

pain is pain

This man has been accused of ripping off 2pac,and its a fair shout to be bluntly honest.They are both similair in rhymestyle,in lyrics,in the fashion stakes,in image etc etc,except pac did it so much better.The music adopts the same formula throughout,rap a few bars then an r and b chorus x 3 to fade.There are 1 or 2 bright moments but as im writing this ive forgotten them already.Pain is excruiciating.Im not a ja hater,infact i thought his first cd showed promise but if you want an example of a crossover cock up congratulations you've found it
December 10, 2006

Ja Rule - Pain Is Love

After Ja Rule burst out onto the rap scene in the '99 with his debut album, "Venni Vetti Vecci," the streets were heating up thinking he was the best new cat out of New York. But after his disasterous follow-up, "Rule 3:36," almost all hope was lost considering that almost the whole album was filled with pop-rap. Now another years goes by and another album from Ja gets released, this time with "Pain Is Love." Can Ja bring it back to the grimey street style of his first album or will this be another bow to his rap career?

1. Pain Is Love (Intro) - No Rating

2. Dial M for Murder - 4.5/5

3. Livin' It Up (Featuring Case) - 4/5

4. The Inc. (Featuring Caddillac Tah, Black Child & Ashanti) - 4/5

5. Always on Time (Featuring Ashanti) - 3/5

6. Down A** B**** (Featuring Charli Baltimore) - 3.5/5

7. Never Again - 4/5

8. Worldwide Gangsta (Featuring Caddillac Tah, Black Child, Boo & Gotti) - 4/5

9. Leo (Skit) - No Rating

10. I'm Real [Murder Remix] (Featuring Jennifer Lopez) - 3.5/5

11. Smokin and Ridin (Featuring Jody Mack & O-1) - 4.5/5

12. X (Featuring Missy Elliot & Tweet) - 4/5

13. Big Remo (Skit) - No Rating

14. Lost Little Girl - 4/5

15. So Much Pain (Featuring 2Pac) - 5/5

16. Pain Is Love - 3/5

Overall:

52/65

4 Stars

"Pain Is Love" is a border-line positive effort from Ja Rule. He didn't change much since his last album, on some tracks he's actually gotten worse. There's way too much singing and pop style songs, I don't see how most of this got past the production stage. Anyway there are some good tracks though, Ja kept it street on some tracks but not many. Check it out if you like what's on the radio, Ja Rule, Ashanti or Murder Inc, if not this one's not for you. October 19, 2006

Let There Be Ja Rule!

I never liked Ja Rule's rap, until this album surfaced. This album can be played from beginning to end, no skipping required. It's Explosive! The best album I have purchased since Chronic 2001...Give this man his props, this album was worth all the money I put into it, and then some! July 9, 2006

Pain is when he keeps making albums, love is when he quits the game

Ja do you hate me? I sure hate you. I can tell you hate me amongst many others in the world because you keep making these wack pop songs and have the nerve to call it hip hop. This kat is so commercial i wouldn't even consider it rap let alone hip hop. Boycott this clown and support real emcees like krs one, immortal technique, and one be lo. June 9, 2006

good cd

I see people hating on this cd. Granted this cd is mostly pop-rap love ballads but I like the sound of this cd. This is the only Ja Rule cd that caught my attention and that I own. I love the track with 2Pac. January 19, 2006

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