Ja Rule: 'I Took It Upon Myself To Become A Man' — npr.org

hide captionJa Rule at NPR's New York bureau in June. Ja Rule at NPR's New York bureau in June. The rapper born Jeffrey Atkins was raised by his mother in Hollis, Queens. For the boy who would become Ja Rule, the neighborhood represented a duality: crime, drugs and violence were common, but so were the intoxicating sound and culture of hip-hop. It didn't hurt that he would sometimes spot fellow Hollis residents Run-DMC strolling the streets.

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