Sagging sales figures for hip-hop albums aren’t daunting Kanye West (who recently attested that the genre is alive and well), and as Rock Daily pointed out last week, the fall is stocked with major rap releases — including Ja Rule’s first album of new material since 2004’s R.U.L.E. The album, titled Mirror, is his attempt to get people excited about hip-hop again. “The whole industry is so focused on beefin’ with each other — it’s like the WWF of rap right now,” says Ja Rule, who credits the “haters” for sending him back to the studio. “I’m stepping out of the arena. I don’t want to be a wrestlin’ rapper.”
Recorded in New York, Mirror (which comes out this November), features guests like Lil Wayne, who pops up on the first single, “Uh Ohhh,” and the Game, who appears on “Sunset.” “I don’t think people were expecting that,” says Rule of Game’s involvement. “But we got a hot record on the album.” And believe it or not, like the Wu-Tang Clan, who have a “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”-inspired track on their upcoming 8 Diagrams, Mirror features “Father Forgive Me,” an update of Revolver’s “Eleanor Rigby.” “Hopefully I make the Beatles proud,” says Rule. “Big shout out to Paul McCartney and the whole gang, Ringo and everybody!”
Rule titled his album Mirror to echo its introspective nature (his second choice was Pain Is Love). “This record is like my confessions, I’m shedding my skins,” explains Rule, who says the album cover is an actual mirror. “The mirror is your only real moment of truth. It’s the place where everybody can go and be honest with themselves.” But despite the title’s deep message, the MC stresses the light and fun “poppin’ some bottles” attitude of the album overall. “Somebody’s got to come in and make it positive,” says Rule. “You have to make records that make people feel like having a good time.”
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- Portions of Album Content Provided by All Music Guide © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC.
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