Ja Rule helped save Def Jam. At the turn of the new millennium, the gravel-voiced rapper from Hollis pumped out a line of radio-friendly hits alongside R&B singers Ashanti and Christina Milian. Platinum plaques for albums like Venni Vetti Vecci and Rule 3:36 quickly followed. Balancing out his commercial moves, the other side of Ja's music pitched to the New York City streets. Riding over Irv Gotti's stripped-down beats, he dropped thug anthems alongside hometown heavy-hitters like Jadakiss and DMX.