Ja Rule has had three incarnations in my memory. Most recently, he was the celebrity face that seemed to legitimize Fyre Festival. That went well for him. Before that he mostly know for the beef he had with 50 Cent. 50 Cent pretty much ruined Ja Rule’s career.

Before all of that, I knew Ja Rule from “Always On Time” with Ashanti. He seemed to make a career out of duets with R&B singers. It’s a great example of how hip hop was marketed at that time. The hook is catchy and memorable and appeals to a pop audience, but then Ja Rule is rapping away about riding. It’s a catchy song but I love that it was all over pop radio and everyone knew it when I was a kid but nobody really listened to it. People are concerned about Cardi B and Lil Nas X, but they weren’t paying enough attention 20 years ago.

You can listen to “Always On Time” by Ja Rule and Ashanti here .