While it may seem as if Ja Rule (born Jeff Atkins) exploded out of nowhere with his debut Def Jam album Venni Vetti Vecci and its successful lead single "Holla, Holla," this Hollis, Queens, native had actually paid plenty of dues before being catapulted to superstar status. Beginning with a low-profile appearance on Mic Geronimo's 1995 B-side, "Time to Build," he began making increasingly higher-profile appearances before finally getting a chance to shine in Jay-Z's "Can I Get A," a massive urban radio and MTV hit from late 1998. Along the way to this landmark moment for Ja Rule, he also moonlighted in the Cash Money Click collective, which scored a deal with TVT Records that unfortunately only resulted in a sole single, 1995's "Get the Fortune." Of course, having experienced substantial success with the Jay-Z collaboration, he soon found himself signed to a contract with the monolithic Def Jam label. His debut, 1999's Venni Vetti Vecci, which featured some stunning cameos from major rap artists including a collaboration with both Jay-Z and DMX on "It's Murda", scored heavy rotation with its "Holla Holla" lead single and went platinum by the end of the year. Furthermore, Ja Rule's affiliation with both the Ruff Ryders and Roc-A-Fella camps guaranteed him plenty of great cameos on a host of artists' albums, including the massive Ruff Ryders, Vol. 1 album. Following the success of 1999, Ja Rule receded from the media spotlight for the majority of 2000, returning in October with his follow-up album, Rule 3:36. This album found him moving in more adventurous directions, broadening his palette of styles to include some more melancholic songs such as the lead single, a collaboration with Christina Milian titled "Between Me and You."