As the flagship artist for producer Irv Gotti's Def Jam-affiliated Murder Inc.
Label, Ja Rule became the rap industry's most commercially successful artist during
the early 2000s, working closely with the hitmaker and his stable of talent. Ja
initially won over a sizable following with Venni Vetti Vecci (1999), his rather
hardcore debut album modeled largely after the style of rugged thug rap then popularized
by DMX and the Ruff Ryder collective. In particular, "Holla Holla" became
a breakout hit, but in retrospect it was a minor success relative to what Ja accomplished
a year later with his follow-up album.