Ja Rule was recently asked about hip-hop veteran Melle Mel’s comments on the 2004 “New York” national anthem. His MC for “White Lines” compared the Jadakiss and Fat Joe-assisted track to the success of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind.”
The Furious Five rap legend claimed that Ja Rule’s New York song wasn’t very successful because it was trying to be a “hood” like 50 Cent.
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“Mel got the right to say what he wanted,” Ja said. TMZ Before adding, “But me copying 50 seems like the funniest shit ever because 50 copied me. I was his blueprint.”
Returning to his 2004 hit, he said: His one of today’s biggest New York records. Empire State of Mind is also a great record, but they are different. ”
The Queens rapper further analyzed that his songs are “street anthems” and “gutters” whereas “Empire State of Mind” is more “commercial”. Ja then yelled at hip-hop pioneer He KRS-One with the lyric “I got 100 guns, 100 clips,” derived from his 1990 rap “100 Guns.”
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“New York” reached #27 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, #14 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and #10 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. The Grammy Award-winning song “Empire State of Mind” was a huge success as well. The Al-Shux-produced track earned him his first week at number one on the Hot 100, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts.
Revisit Ja Rule, Fat Joe and Jadakiss’ “New York” anthems below.
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