The Last Testament

It’s hard not to want to call “bullshit” when it comes to Ja Rule. The gravel-voiced rapper is cut quite deliberately from the Tupac/DMX cloth—from his chiseled physique and intricate tattoos down to his burgeoning acting career—yet for all his barking about “murda,” he’s crafted hit after hit by teaming up with divas like J.Lo and Ashanti. Such cold pop calculation practically begs for a critical beatdown, but his fourth album reminds us Ja is better when you don’t think too hard about him. If you’re going to get angry, though, “The Pledge Remix” is the place to do it. There’s a grave-robbed vocal from Tupac, an Ashanti-cooed hook, and a DMX dis from Ja that feels more obligatory than inspired. Strangely, Ja is often more compelling as a singer than a rapper: he sets his throaty growl to “croon” on the album’s two best tracks, the aptly-named “Mesmerize” (with Ashanti) and the funk-tastic title track (with Charli Baltimore). Hate him if you want, but Ja Rule knows how to craft hits.