Ja Rule<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The \u201cI\u2019m in Love with a Church Girl\u201d Interview<\/p>\n\n\n\n
with Kam Williams<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Born in Hollis, Queens on February 29, 1976, Jeffrey \u201cJa Rule\u201d Atkins began rapping professionally while still in his teens, although he really made a big splash in 1999 with the release of \u201cVenni Vetti Vecci.\u201d That solo album went platinum on the strength of the single \u201cHolla Holla,\u201d thereby kickstarting an enviable musical career which has produced a half-dozen more studio lps while netting the popular hip-hop artist four Grammy nominations and counting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also collaborated on hit songs with everybody from J-Lo (\u201cI\u2019m Real\u201d) to Christina Milian (\u201cBetween Me and You\u201d) to Ashanti (\u201cAlways on Time\u201d) to R. Kelly (\u201cWonderful\u201d). Meanwhile, he expanded his repertoire to include acting, appearing in such films as \u201cThe Fast and the Furious,\u201d \u201cScary Movie 3,\u201d \u201cAssault on Precinct 13\u201d and \u201cShall we Dance,\u201d to name a few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No stranger to controversy, Ja also became embroiled in some famous feuds, most notably, with rival rapper 50 Cent. He was recently released from prison after spending a couple of years behind bars for tax evasion and gun possession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here, Ja talks about his new film, \u201cI\u2019m in Love with a Church Girl,\u201d a faith-based tale of redemption chronicling the real-life reformation of drug dealer-turned-pastor Galley Molina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kam Williams<\/strong>: Hey Ja, thanks for the interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ja Rule: What\u2019s happening, killer?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> I appreciate the opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n JR: Me too, Kam. Thanks for having me.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> I\u2019m originally from your neck of the woods, St. Albans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n JR: [Laughs] No doubt, no doubt! Queens in the building!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> I told my readers I\u2019d be interviewing you, and they sent in a lot of questions. Reverend Florine Thompson, who is also from Queens, asks: What interested you in I\u2019m in \u201cLove with a Church Girl?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n JR: First of all, I just enjoyed reading the script. Second, I also liked a lot of the parallels between me and the character Miles Montego. Those similarities convinced me that I would like to be a part of the project.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Florine would also like to know whether making this film has influenced your spiritual relationship with your Higher Power?<\/p>\n\n\n\n JR: Absolutely! I\u2019ve always been a spiritual person who believed in a Higher Power. So, I\u2019ve always had my 1-on-1 with God, even if I wasn\u2019t much of a religious person. But I would definitely have to say that this movie brought me even a little closer to God.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Lester Chisholm asks: Has the experience of working with Pastor Molina on this production enhanced your life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n JR: Definitely! The movie is Galley\u2019s life story. Galley Molina\u2019s a great inspiration and role model for a lot of young kids out there.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Documentary director Kevin Williams asks: How did you prepare for the role?<\/p>\n\n\n\n JR: One of the things I did was I went to church with Galley to study him, because I thought I\u2019d be doing more preaching in the film.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Was it weird playing him with him right there on the set?<\/p>\n\n\n\n JR: No, that\u2019s part of the beauty of doing a true story, having the person that the picture\u2019s about there. I felt fortunate to be able to get his advice about how to approach the character and his input about how this or that scene should play out. So, it was great to have Galley there.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> What was it like working with this cast, Adrienne Bailon, Stephen Baldwin, Vincent Pastore, etcetera?<\/p>\n\n\n\n JR: Adrienne and I have known each other for a long time. Me and Stephen, too! And Vincent and I worked on two films together prior to this one. So, it was great just being around everybody again and spending time together on the set!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> What message do you think people will take away from the film?<\/p>\n\n\n\n JR: This is really an inspirational film which is all about connecting with people who aren\u2019t that much into church, although it\u2019s for church people, too. That\u2019s the beauty of the film.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: Do you think if gangsta rappers really fell in love with \u2018Church Girls\u2019 they might stop saying horrible and abusive things about females in their songs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n JR: [LOL] Maybe\u2026 maybe\u2026 She may be onto something. [Laughs some more]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Larry Greenberg asks: Do you thing that reggae is at the root of what is happening today in EDM [Electronic Dance Music] and trip-hop?<\/p>\n\n\n\n JR: Trip-hop? I don\u2019t know if I ever heard of trip-hop. [Asks his friends if they know what it is.] I\u2019m in a room of hip-hop heads, and nobody ever heard of it. But EDM, absolutely!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Marsha Evans says she\u2019s a resident of Kew Gardens, and a friend of Reverend Run. She says congrats on your daughter\u2019s starting at Hampton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n JR: Aw, thank you!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> She says she\u2019s run into Alan Hevesi [former NYS Comptroller] a few times at the local foreign film theater and that he smiled when she mentioned your name. She\u2019d like to know whether you\u2019ve applied any of the financial advice you received from him while in prison?<\/p>\n\n\n\n JR: [Chuckles] Heavy D, that\u2019s my boy. Alan Hevesi and I forged a great relationship while in prison. I\u2019m glad he\u2019s home now. He\u2019s an older man, so he belongs home, not behind bars. But I definitely benefitted from his knowledge. I used to pick his brain a lot while we watched the New York Knicks on TV.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?<\/p>\n\n\n\n JR: No, I think I\u2019ve been asked everything under the sun.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> When you look in the mirror, what do you see?<\/p>\n\n\n\n JR: My reflection. [LOL] No, that\u2019s a tough question. I see a man that\u2019s in the process of growth, going from one end to another.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?<\/p>\n\n\n\n JR: A minute ago. I have one everyday, Kam.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> What is your guiltiest pleasure?<\/p>\n\n\n\n JR: Chocolate lava cake.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> What is your favorite dish to cook?<\/p>\n\n\n\n JR: I\u2019m a breakfast type of guy. Don\u2019t get me wrong. I can cook, I\u2019m kinda nice on the burner, but I enjoy making breakfast. I do it all\u2026 Scrambled eggs\u2026 French toast\u2026 Pancakes\u2026 Breakfast is my thing.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n