Unruly: The Highs and Lows of Becoming a Man – An African-American Hip Hop Memoir of Prison, Fame, and Transformation

by Ja Rule

Ja Rule, actor, singer, songwriter, and one of the most multi-dimensional rap artists of his time, tells his compelling story—from his youth to his rise to international fame to his transformative two years in Federal prison—and reveals the man beneath the legend. Unruly is two stories that offer one complete picture of a man and his the angry, fatherless rapper, Ja Rule who was “raised by the streets”; and Jeffrey Atkins, the insightful, reflective father and loyal husband who learned the hard way how to be a good man. Filled with never-before-revealed anecdotes and sixteen pages of black-and-white photos, Unruly shows the determination that it takes to become a man in today’s society. Ja Rule considers the lack of role models for many young black men today—a void that leads to bad choices and the wrong paths. Recalling his youth, he illuminates the seductive pull of the streets and the drug dealers who were his earliest role models. Jeffrey Atkins offers practical wisdom—reflection, growth and hope learned first-hand as an inmate, father, husband, and community role model. He speaks fondly of men who inspired Unruly —the inmates he met in prison whose misguided ideas of masculinity landed them behind bars—and Louis Farrakhan who mediated the televised encounter with Ja Rule’s adversary, 50 Cent. Unruly is a compelling, personal look at the duality and conflicts that arise in the African-American male psyche from a man who has enjoyed breathtaking fame and suffered heartbreaking misfortune.

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published June 3, 2014

Reviews

[Andrew Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

The big difference between Ja Rule’s memoir and other celebrity memoirs I’ve read lately - he rushes straight through his account of the prime years of his career. The middle third of Unruly deals with Rule’s rapid ascent to stardom, his few years spent on the A-list of hip-hop and pop music and his legendary beef with 50 Cent and Eminem’s camp. People ended up dead because of the rivalry, he tells us. 50 got stabbed by one of Rule’s entourage. But Ja doesn’t explain the feud in a way that makes much sense.

The narrative in Unruly , particularly the fame-and-fortune section, is frequently unclear and murky. It takes that “of course, you already know…” approach, but I don’t already know. I picked up your book because I wanted to know more. We’re roughly the same age. I remember what I was doing when your career arced up from nowhere to the top. I wanna know what you were doing, what life was like for you from 1998-2003. I want more than 70 pages about those five years. And I think I’m gonna go read 50 Cent’s memoir next, honestly.

But guess what. Something I liked about Ja Rule’s memoir, compared to other celebrity memoirs I’ve read lately - he spends probably the first 40 percent of his book talking about his childhood, adolescence and teenage years. This was a dude whose father left when he was very young, whose single mom struggled to make ends meet, who became aware of a talent that set him apart, who didn’t feel whole and complete as a person until he started drinking and getting high. All things I could relate to.

And this was a dude who dropped out of school early, when he realized he could make a grand a week selling crack on the street corners of Queens. Everybody sold crack in the evenings and at night, but people wanted to buy crack during the day, too. There was an AM crack market no one was catering to, and teenage Ja Rule figured this out and made him some good crack money. This is stuff I can’t relate to but that nonetheless fascinates me.

So Ja, in the book, starts to realize he’s a good rapper, starts to write down his shit and practice his freestyles, and from there he’s simply in the right place at the right time. Irv Gotti, who founds the Murder Inc. record label under Def Jam, is one of Ja’s buddies. They’re hired into Def Jam together during the same meeting. Meanwhile, Jay-Z and DMX are on the cusp of superstardom, and they all appear together on Mic Geronimo’s classic track “Time to Build.” Ja’s big break is his verse on “Can I Get a…” from the first Rush Hour soundtrack, a Jay-Z song he wrote the hook for.

The stage is set for his first solo album, which drops in 1999 and has a mega-hit in “Holla Holla.” Somewhere along the line, while working on the followup album, Ja strikes gold when he realizes if you get an R+B chick to sing every chorus, and you give her a verse and interact with her in the song, you have a shot at the #1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100. Artists who aren’t otherwise affiliated with hip-hop will call and ask you to write songs for them. The book explores none of the creative process or gossip stories behind this; it’s presented as an after-the-fact “of course you know that…” aside.

The book moves chronologically, but between each chapter is an italicized “present-tense” interlude written from prison, as Ja serves 26 months for a weapons charge and tax evasion. The grammar is loose and unfiltered through these sections, with frequent LOLs and symbols replacing words (e.g. “&” for “and”), and his wife and each of his kids get an individualized shout-out. These portions are less structured and not essential to the story, but they help drive home the point that this dude - who was abandoned by his father, who was abandoned by his father - has regrets and is determined to be integral to the life of the family he created.

Initially, the italicized interludes are the only parts of the book with rampant typos and grammatical errors, but as the narrative creeps on, the typos invade the main text too. This book, while it did entertain me and grab me as a reader, raises more questions than it answers. A great editor would’ve read the early drafts of Unruly , asked some of these same questions for Ja Rule to answer in future drafts. All I had was Wikipedia, which gave me more clear and concise answers about the events in Ja Rule’s career and legal troubles than Ja Rule’s book did.

But there was one fact that was wrong on Wikipedia’s page for Ja Rule - it said Rule’s sister died at age 5 from breathing complications, when actually his sister died in the womb and was stillborn when Rule was 5. I changed that info on the Wikipedia page. It was my first time editing Wikipedia, which allowed me to cross one more item off my “White and Nerdy” bucket list. I got to do that at the end of Unruly, and Ja Rule got to be released from prison and return to his family and career. Happy endings all around.

PS. ...oh, except for this little dead-on detail, captured in Aja's review of Unruly: "There seemed to be very little remorse for the actions which landed [Ja Rule] in jail and more self pity because he was missing out on life. He manages to explain events which nearly killed people with the same blase tone one would use when verbally announcing that they were off to the grocery store. A man takes a drink out of your hand? Beat his ass. It will only cost you $80k. Someone steals from you? Buy a baseball bat and beat him to near death. Biblical law, man. Get caught up in the book Confessions of a Video Vixen? Don't focus on the fact that you couldn't keep your dick in your pants, focus on the fact that she snitched on you. Nothing is of course, ever your fault, right? Barf."

[Kimberly Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, what hasn't Jeffrey Atkins a/k/a Ja Rule, been through? I'm sure there is much he left out of his memoir, but it was important for him to speak about what matters--his reputation as a rapper, his humanity, being a father and loving husband.

It was nice to see Rule grow as he told his story, which is very familiar for many of us having grown up poor, in the projects and the mean streets of the ghetto. From having an absent father, to a mother who worked hard to put food on the table and keep her son close to her heart. His early beginnings sort of stunned me because I couldn't imagine him having such a religious background. I suppose it felt weird reading his upbringing based on the news reports we all heard or read.

He came clean, as any celebrity can, about his beef with 50 Cent and the take down of his record label Murder, Inc. His words were poetic in some ways and mesmerizing as he told of his drug dealing days and coming so close to death a few times. Thank God behind every good man is a greater woman, and his wife who certainly is his ride or die, stood firm beside her man in all that he did. I'm sure it wasn't easy having a famous husband who liked the ladies.

Ja is back better than ever and living his life. He's been out of prison for about a year now, and it is my hope for him that he never ever sees the inside of a real jail cell again. It's one thing to portray an inmate on the silver screen, but to actually live it is an entirely different matter. This is a pretty decent read.

My only criticisms would be there weren't any pictures in the Kindle version, which is a bummer for a fan, and his story jumped around a great deal to the point it was hard to concentrate on one thing or another. As soon as he got me interested in one area, he would jump to something else. However, it doesn't take much away from his story and it's a good read. I say well done. I wish you the best Ja!

[David Dacosta · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve never owned a Ja Rule album. His gravelly voice sing-song style always irritated my ears. He and a slew of other late-90s rappers were essentially clones of Tupac - bare chested tattooed thugs whose careers would have taken a much different path had Shakur survived that hail of bullets on that tragic night in 1996. So why read a Ja Rule memoir? Call it curiosity. That and the fact that I spent the first seven years of my journalism career interviewing the who’s who of Hip Hop music during the 1990s.

Like far too many black youth growing up in America’s inner cities, Ja touches on the hardships of being raised by a single mother, and mourning the loss of an absentee father. These details, however valid to his evolution as a person, unfortunately come off as generic, and had me asking the question: when will we get to the interesting stuff? Namely the music biz aspect of his life. His exploits in criminality as a teen also seemed rather textbook.

By the time Ja Rule’s debut album, Venni Vetti Vecci, was released in 1999, Hip Hop had merged with the mainstream. Much of what his record label, Def Jam, was selling at that time was disposable and image driven. As a purist, I regarded this output as more, Hip Pop, than anything else. The days of superior rhyme skills and innovative production were being replaced by a fixation with Billboard chart positions and Soundscan figures (retail sales tracking).

The family man narrative is perhaps the most meaningful aspect of this memoir. The details of Ja Rule’s rise to rap prominence felt disjointed due to an unorthodox structure. And the inclusion of his feud with fellow rapper 50 Cent, along with info regarding notorious industry plaything, Karrine Steffans, reflected poorly on him. Ultimately, I got what I deserved by reading a memoir by a rapper I’ve never had the slightest respect for musically, mediocrity.

[Byron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ja Rule obviously worked with someone to write this book, but ironically it's filled with grammatical errors and typos. Unless he's completely illiterate, I wonder how much worse it would be if he wrote it himself. He may not have had time write a book, presumably having signed the deal with this after he was sprung from the pokey -- he needed to focus on getting back in the studio and on the road, lest he end up locked up again for tax evasion.

Having said that, I still got a lot out of this. What it's lacking in form and polish -- and believe me, it's lacking quite a bit -- I'd say it makes up for in candor, honesty and the unique perspective Ja Rule brings, having been one of the top rappers out back when hip-hop was near its commercial peak, albeit briefly. I'd compare it to Mark Curry's Diddy book, in that it's got a lot of very interesting information that's destined to remain obscure, because hip-hop heads don't even read the little eight word captions beneath the bootleg audio on blogs, let alone books.

In particular, his take on what ended up happening between himself and Irv Gotti, 50 Cent and Jimmy Iovine, essentially resulting in Irv Gotti being run out of Universal Music despite being instrumental in bringing not just Ja Rule, but also Jay-Z and DMX to Def Jam, seems both highly plausible and also relevant to the current discussion on the rap Internets having to do with "culture vultures" and what have you. The stuff about beating up 50 Cent on multiple occasions seems less that likely, but what do I know. It makes for a few amusing stories anyway.

[Aja · Rating 2 out of 5]

Holy misogyny Batman! Sometimes I read things and go into knowing that I'm probably not going to like the book but hoping to learn something new. Gain some new insight into a world I don't know much about perhaps. This book definitely achieved that goal. I learned SO MUCH about the hip hop world that existed 1990 and on. I learned about who did what, who knew who and how the most infamous feuds started. And let me tell you, the feuds make my head hurt. Grown men bickering over what? Because someone said you sung on a record? That is the dumbest shit I've ever heard. My brain literally hurt over the nonsense with him and 50 Cent. I always suspected it was dumb but I never knew exactly HOW stupid we were talking.
Ja Rule seems to place very little value on women and the people he hurts. He kind of has the makings of a sociopath. In his book, there seemed to be very little remorse for the actions which landed him in jail and more self pity because he was missing out on life. He manages to explain events which nearly killed people with the same blase tone one would use when verbally announcing that they were off to the grocery store. A man takes a drink out of your hand? Beat his ass. It will only cost you $80k. Someone steals from you? Buy a baseball bat and beat him to near death. Biblical law, man. Get caught up in the book Confessions of a Video Vixen? Don't focus on the fact that you couldn't keep your dick in your pants, focus on the fact that she snitched on you. Nothing is of course, ever your fault, right? Barf.

[Andre(Read-A-Lot) · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very pedestrian autobiography that is not very well structured but does manage to be somewhat entertaining and candid. Ja Rule's story is shared in a linear fashion from childhood to rap star to inmate, and up to the present. There isn't much depth given to any particular time period or events therein. I don't think it even works as a cautionary tale for young men, because the pain of hustling doesn't seem all that impactful and some may see it as part of the necessary sacrifice if a recording career can be built from the ruins.

So, if you're not a fan of hip hop in general and/or Ja Rule in particular you won't find much value in this autobiography. On the other hand, adherents of rap music and culture will revel in the tidbits and personalities that helped Ja Rule achieve a measure of success. Buried deep in this book is an interesting life, it's a shame more of that life wasn't flushed out in what seems like a rush job.

[Shà · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am mad Ja Rule was locked up so close to Rochester New York. if I would've knew that, I would've became his pen pal seriously. you can tell Ja Rule has been through some things and matured tremdenously since before his lock up stance. I am very proud of him and he is a very strong man. he has much courage to tell his story and let his fans in the way he did. I admire him and I was utterly surpringsly impressed. I still have love for him and I will always look at him as unruly and not as ja rule no more.

[Andrea Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book. It allows you to see the man behind the music. Ja Rule opens the book with a kicker, letting his audience know that he was raised as a Jehovah's Witness. He goes into detail about his frequent incarcerations, beef with rapper 50Cent, breaking into the music industry and the downward spiral that landed him in prison. I recommend this book especially for young men who grew up without a father and the women who deal with them. I certify this book as a DOPE READ.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty mediocre, but the parts about his interactions with other rap royalty like DMX, 50 cent, and Jay Z was fascinating.

[Kris Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you are a Ja fan or 50 fan, this book is a guaranteed page turner and will keep your interest. Ja does a great job detailing his life. He does go into detail about how the 50 situation, but he doesn't focus only on that. I appreciate that he didn't skip that part,because that was also apart of his story, and he seems honest about his highs and lows. He admits when he felt defeated or angry. I mean imagine you are the hottest rapper in the game (at one time, The Inc dominated the charts for years) and then some guy from your own neighborhood who's trying to get buzz just starts dissing u relentlessly, to piggyback off your success. Ja had no problem with up and coming rappers, it's just that 50 was obsessed with dissing him and discrediting everything he worked so hard to build. 50 even admitted he was doing it to get attention so that he could try to build a name in rap. It made Ja angry because he didn't think he should be dragged into 50's quest for fame, he felt 50 should do it on his own merit. He was attacking his reputation, his music, his family, etc. At first Ja tried to ignore him, but eventually he would respond.

Although 50's mishaps got him dropped from Trackmasters and virtually blackballed from radio and labels, he kept trying and was eventually signed to Shady/Aftermath. Even after this, he continued to obsess over Ja.

When 50 began to make the same type of pop songs he'd criticized Ja for, Ja couldn't understand why he was turned on by almost everyone for singing, when 50 turned around and did the same exact thing he bashed him for. 50 had bashed Ja for his duets with Ashanti, J Lo, etc. but turned around & made Candy Shop, Best Friend etc. If u ask me, 50 wanted to copy Ja's formula all along, but he and Olivia just couldn't replicate it.

One thing he expressed was he saw how fickle ppl could be. How quick ppl turned on him, and even an incident where he was chilling with his pregnant wife in a club, a guy pretended to be a fan then in the middle of the convo, snatches his bottle out his hand. He was so angry that the guy had disrespected him in front of his wife who was carrying his seed. BlackChild and other Inc guys stomped the man out and they flew the scene. Among other incidents where G Unit fans would come up to him and scream "G UNIT , FUCK MURDER INC" in his ear.

I can also say Ja did make an attempt to squash it, through Chaz and even Farrakhan but 50 never showed. Ja reached a point where he said he was done with the beef and was focused 100% on his family and thank God he did because today Aisha is still by his side and they still have their lovely home and their kids are thriving. This book gives insight into Ja's childhood, his life when he was dominating hip hop, mistakes he made, etc. He expressed that he knew 50 would get angry over his NY song with Joe and Jada, but he wanted to dedicate a song specifically to NY. Wonderful was about his life and how ppl turned on him when he wasn't hot only to come back again. NY and Wonderful were smash hits. Ja had gone back to his roots.

I'm sure it must not have been easy watching someone try to destroy everything u built, including your reputation, steal your style, your wife on verge of leaving u, the Feds shutting down the Inc and freezing all their assets etc. Banned from award shows. You really get a firsthand account of Ja's story. Until now we just looked at it from the outside, but he gives a firsthand account from his view, mistakes and all. But changed for his family. He doesn't try to sound perfect, he bares it all. He regrets hurting Aisha, and vowed to do right by her to show her the man he could truly be.

I am a 50 fan also and also enjoyed his book, but it was very interesting to see Ja's side of things. Straight from the heart, no holds barred. Truly unruly!

[Jada · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing I can say, is this book is def not boring! Who would've thought Ja was this multifaceted? I was neutral on Ja before. I was quite young, but I still remember my cousins blasting his music in the car & his videos topping all the MTV/BET countdowns. But I never knew much about him. I just knew, when I was little, there was a time when u literally couldn't go a day without hearing a Murder Inc hit. Ja, Ashanti, Lloyd etc.

Holla Holla, Living it Up, Between Me and U, Always On Time, Down Ass Chick, I'm Real, Ain't it Funny, Wonderful, Caught Up etc. If you throw any of these on at a party, guaranteed ppl are gonna sing along or get up & dance even to this day. Even Game(former G Unit member) admitted that Ja had a barrage of hits and had his own blueprint that many rappers followed to this day.

One thing that stood out to me is that he referred his music his art, his creation. He was willing to defend it by any means. His love for music is different than some "rappers" who just throw some shit together and don't care how it sounds. U can tell Ja really took his music serious and that I can respect.

About the Hit Factory incident, even Smurf (50's childhood friend) said Ja was telling the truth about what happened. We can like G Unit (can't lie, I love Banks) but still admit that 50 climbed up the wrong tree that day. When The Inc got the heads up that G Unit was in the building they walked around til they found the room they were in, busted the Tannoy speakers on heads and poked cats up.

But the book isn't solely about The Inc. There are very interesting stories about times with Jay, DMX, (remember Ja was in Cash Money Click before). How DMX got upset with Ja. How Jay went and did the commercial with 50 after The Inc had linked up with Nas. It also mentions the infamous Busta/Violator incident. The Em/Dre situation etc. Even if u aren't a Ja fan there is a lot of interesting hip hop stories with other artists.

This book was way better than I expected and if he ever comes out with a 2nd I will be copping it as well.

[Courtney Smith Atkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an odd psychological journey through a skewed mind influenced by drugs and violence. I could not resist reading it and really wanted to send it out as a jokey gift. But other people (that I care about!) might actually then read it which would be a shame. Why did I like it then? There were laugh out loud lines within the chapters and just things that truly caught me off guard (people think like that!!!!). It was a cross between laughing and shaking my head.

[Adam Schlesinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not very good, but i committed to the bit having had a signed copy my parents gave me.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put this one down. It was a very personal look at his life.

[Travis Bean]

Ja Rule is a crazy person. And I love him for it.

Some key quotes from the book:

"You have to have something to brag about when shit is all fucked-up."

"It was like how I'd wanted sex to be: butt-naked bodies, heavy breathing and sweaty skin rubbing up against everywhere."

"I used to think, fuck history and social studies. But I was wrong. If we don't know our history, we are lost."

"If the crackhead would sway to the left, I would hit him from the right with a left. The fiends couldn't even see our punches coming and then with one light tap, BAM! they were out cold laying on the ground, with their head right next to my fresh new sneakers. So, motherfuckas started calling me Left. I kinda liked that shit, too."

"I'm like Fred Astaire to these niggas. Ha Ha."

"I was mad as a motherfucker that they put me in the dirtiest fuckin cell they could find. So much for being a superstar. LOL."

"I jumped up, brushed my teeth wit some shit that was supposed to be toothpaste, took a bird bath at the sink and hurried the fuck outta there hoping the next stop was at least a real jail and not no county bullshit."

"Moms was noticing other strange things like opening up our mailbox and finding small little baggies filled with crack rocks."

"I knew they were going to shoot me in the back of the head, which is a punk way of murdering a homie, if I must say so myself."

"They were all letting their jobs, their homes, their children and their mates slip through their fingers without a second thought. All because of drugs. I ain't gonna lie, that shit was depressing as fuck."

"We called ourselves "the Four Horsemen," even though there were only three of us. That shit made us laugh our asses off."

"We had used condoms for the first straight year. And then we don't know what happened. I think I was the one who suggested that we use the "withdrawal method." Id heard from someone that it worked. Or maybe, I'd heard that it didn't work."

"I would always love the baby and Aisha, forever, but I may not be there to change diapers and shit. I would be out on the road, in stage, signing autographs--where I belonged."

"I've reached the last spot on my Jail Tour. LOL."

"In essence, taking off my shirt was the best thing I ever could have done."

"This is how the industry creates its egomaniacs. It's how Kanye West can say that he's God. I get it. I understand the feeling. But people are not comfortable with a Black man calling himself God. But, we're taught in the Bible that we're made in His image. And how we should live our lives in accordance with God's words. So, what's wrong with Kanye saying that. Aren't we all God's children. Our gifts are a blessing, but it's up to us to use them productively, and not take them for granted or even abuse them."

"The interesting thing is that the first week it came out, it sold 187,000 copies, and 187 is the LA police code for murder. Me and Irv Gotti thought it was a sign from God that our time had come. It's murder had finally become a reality."

"I came, I saw, I conquered. Hell yeah."

"Ja Rule and Murder Inc. were slaying the radio. Our joints added the instrumentation of R&B and the sensuality of female vocals and put them over dope tracks. The combination made every hot joint even hotter."

"My man Merc, he had broken his foot. I took his crutch to use as a weapon."

"When I feel the tightening of my skin and the quickening pace of my heartbeat, it always leads to severe bodily harm for others."

"I had always lived by the principle of an eye for an eye. If you steal something you should get your hands cut off. This is how life should be. If you rape someone you should be castrated. I feel if these things were implemented into society, we wouldn't have all of the troubles that we have with crime."

"I haven't drank, smoked or fucked in almost 2 years. I might be able to walk on water right now, LOL."

"During rec time, I hit the weights. I gained about thirty pounds. People thought I was lifting Toyotas in that bitch."

[Steven Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ja Rule was underrated as an artist by myself and others. It is only in hindsight that I find myself wishing Rule was still in the public eye and making music again. This book is really based off of letters written during his time in prison where he finally had the time to reflect upon his life and put the story together much like another bio i recently read from Rick James.

The story is the general one from the hood most of the time but Ja tries to make it more meaningful through his letters that are interspersed throughout the book. There he tries to give an overview of his feelings at that moment and the broader societal implications before the book goes into a detailed chapter that follows the theme. Early on the book moves quickly, too quickly in fact. I mean the first couple of chapters lay a good groundwork but then the formative early teenage years are really glossed over, especially as it relates to Ja starting to get into rap. He mentions that he is trying to get into music, but never really gets into the trials of that, was he going to dingy studios? making mix tapes of songs and handing them out? There is some written about writing his lyrics but it isn't in depth at all.

In fact the one thing he does do is sort of over estimate and have an inflated sense of importance of trying to speak on social issues but the insights are little and follow the normal line of thinking from urban communities. The book also fails to fill in a lot of details on teh actual process once he gets signed to Def Jam and the album creation with the exception of a couple of songs. Now I feel like this is because he wants to be this example of growth and self reflection but those moments seem so superficial save a moment in the last third of the book where he talks about reconnecting with his estranged father. In fact the vast majority of the emotional connection and evidence of growth comes from anything involving his pops.

Another thing I didn't like was how the story was organized at points chronologically. I think it takes a lot of weight from his entire set of struggles with the way its set up. He condenses certain parts into the thematic sections when the true weight of what Ja went through isn't as evident. For instance the beef with 50 Cent ends up kind of being the majority of a chapter and doesn't feel natural or like it was the reality. It is sort of like Prodigy's (Mobb Deep) bio where it feels like his role is overly exaggerated. Then the portion that deals with Karrine Steffans is severely minimized and condensed yet in the few paragraphs given, it seems as if it was a major issue for Ja.

Overall it was a strong start but the book lost a lot of steam and I feel like it fell victim to unrealistic expectations on the social impact and a desire to try and keep a lot of useful and interesting information close to the vest. To that end, the chapters about his father and grandparents are really good as are the letters from prison. I just think the storytelling wasn't in depth enough about the things I wanted to know and the editing could have been tighter in regards to sequence.

[Karena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book, it wasn't too long and it was an interesting read. I did have the opinion that Ja Rule was just another dumb rapper who got caught up in that game lifestyle and had to serve time in jail. But his book showed much differently, I read about his struggles growing up in a broken home, dropping out if high school, selling drugs, meeting his future wife in high school. It took some time for him to enter the music industry with some few setbacks but once he did he shot off like a rocket. He won all sorts of awards and recognition, but as with too much fame and no guidelines on how to handle oneself out in Hollywood comes the downfall. The lawsuits came, the gun charges, and he had to do his time in jail, I don't know how his family endured such a hard time. But, he was a committed father, as far as being a husband went that was debatable because he did mention Karrine Steffans, Ms Supahead and how she wrote the encounter in her book but he was careful in not admitting to ever having sex with her, he instead made it seem like he just passed her around to his friends. The 50 Cent beef was very interesting and it cleared up some questions I had and also had me looking at 50 differently than before. So, the book was enjoyable, he got caught up in drama and had to do his time, I never got the woe is me sing from him in the book. He was truthful about every offense he made against the law he was accountable for his actions. I appreciated his sense of community and the way he talked about the plight of Black people and our complex history and interlaced it like a backdrop to his book, he didn't use it as a crutch but I got the sense that he knew history wise where he came from and how he tried to spread that knowledge with his fellow inmates. I love reading auto-biographies by rappers and how they got I to the rap industry. I think it's because I grew up in the beginning stages of hip-hop when it was at it's most creative level. Now on to read Common's One day it will all make sense.....

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never been much of a fan of memoir/biography style reading; they move slow, clamber for interesting material, and end in a less-than-extravagant fashion. That being said, this was one of the better memoirs i have ever read. The "story line" is set up fairly well (minus my distaste for the occasion 'prison journal' excerpts) and the language was awesome. I can see where the language may be a problem; much of it is not written in SAE and the pages are riddled with swear words. For YA, however, edgy is interesting, and this book is edgy.

Although I enjoyed the book, I do not by any means think it is for everyone. Touchy subjects like violence, drug dealing, and lewd sexual activity could easily turn off many readers from this book, or make it inappropriate for lower grade levels. I don't mean to delve too deeply into it, but there were some parts that just hit the wrong chord with my inner feminist as well; inequality, moderately misogynist undertones, a lack of respect for others, all of these things contributed to the distaste I had for the book, but not enough to make me hate the book completely. I just wouldn't have it in my list of highly recommended books.

Overall, it was an interesting read. I gained some knowledge about a rapper I've heard all of my life and read a first-hand account of life on the streets of the hood. I've never had to experience this, and the insight was highly interesting despite some of the negative aspects of the book. 3.5/5

[Lynetta · Rating 4 out of 5]

INQUIRING MINDS

I have listened to the rough and smooth verses spoken by JaRule at the height of his music career- the most memorable-Always on my mind. His voice commands attention and the message he sends in Unruly: The Highs and Lows of Becoming a Man merits attention as well. Like his rap, the message he shares is inviting and unpolished. He delivers the message in straight shooter fashion where he takes no prisoners. He speaks with authority and there is no doubting that he speaks truth. To often inquiring minds want to know but fail to seek answers from the right source. I am of the inquiring minds and I am interested in the unseen/unheard influences that factor into the decisions made by black males . I postulate that the why's of black men are much the same as those of other men irregardless of color and/ or ethnicity. Unruly cultivates understanding where there is ignorance and eloquently lays the foundation of all our existences. Read and decide for yourself whether or not you are your brother's keeper. This is much more than story telling it is a lesson not soon forgotten. I highly recommend it to young and old as it's message is one we all can learn from.

[Ramon Kasiri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ja Rule is a very talented individual and after serving prison he wrote this book. I found it a small glimpse in the life of the man, but i'm sure more could have been written on other areas and aspects of his life. The book is for anyone who appreciates the man and grew up to his music during the early 2000's. Even now, it seems, and I hope as I am a fan, that he will rise back to his stardom and more people will end up reading the book. There is a storm ensuing and the comeback of Ja Rule is inevitable.

[Jeremy Arlen Stenerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great look into the struggle of finally reaching your dreams!

It was a great book, starting with an in-depth look at how Jeffery Atkins grew up. His struggle is real and one could sense by reading his book, the regrets he had as a father,a husband, and man. The only knock I have is that he didn't go into his beef with 50 in much detail, but then again I feel it was about his journey. An excellent and east read. Kudos, Jeffery "Ja Rule" Atkins. Keep on Kremlin's on. You ARE my favorite rapper.

[Karen]

Celebrity Memoirs We Can't Wait to Read

Released: July 1, 2014
Ja Rule told All Things Considered in a recent interview that he "took it upon himself to be a man." That is, at its core, what the rapper-turned-blockbuster actor aims to address in his memoir Unruly. Despite growing up in Hollis, Queens, which Ja Rules says didn't make for the best upbringing -- and despite the crime, drugs, and systemic racism that clouded his vision -- he tells all about being able to come out on top as a successful parent and artist.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ja really speaks from the heart in this autobiography. I am in no way taking away from his life experiences, and actually admire him greatly for all he was able to overcome. I was a big fan of his since the early 2000's, and basically remember all his music being fun.

I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, maybe just fans of his, or people interested in the lighter side of the hip hop world. More fun if you imagine the narrative in his voice. :)

[Sam B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Average book. He talks about learning and growing as a person, but you don't really see it in his decisions/actions and interpretations of how/why his life played out like it did. Recently I've read this autobiography, "The Cook Up" by Watkins, "Between the World and Me" by Coates, and "Unashamed" by Lecrae. It's interesting to see the common threads between their stories, but to see different outcomes based on how each responded.

[Melanee · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I'm a die hard JaRule fan...I was gonna read this no matter what! But what a wonderful surprise (or maybe it shouldn't have been) that I found great pleasure in reading his story. And I really did come away from reading his memoir convinced that ..."pain IS love, Holla!"

[King · Rating 2 out of 5]

just ok

[Lynne Scholfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay memoir

This book was filled with bad language and a lot of gangster talk. I found it repeated thru out the pages. I got bored with it.

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but

Not very well written. There were many parts that more detail was needed and the jumping around in time was not great either.

[Daz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick easy read , not as in-depth as other musicians books I have read which knocks off stars overall. Still , again a decent read if you are or were a fan of JA.

[De'Nae · Rating 5 out of 5]

R.U.L.E.