Diving into the radio-friendly "Livin' It Up," his first single from his latest album, "Pain is Love." On stage in a white headband and a wifebeater, Ja Rule wasn't as active as LL Cool J. It was probably for the best. While LL Cool J easily bounced in and out of the speaker towers, Ja Rule hit his head trying.
Instead, Ja Rule stood out by delivering an album-quality performance by accurately mimicking his semi-soulful, semi-constipated singing voice. He first introduced it on "Rule 3:36" to distinguish himself from other rappers. It obviously has worked to his advantage; during his concert, the fans sang with ease to his major hits, "Between Me and You," "Put It On Me," and "Down A-B----."
But the other remarkable event in Ja Rule's set was his sharp, obscenity-laden speech to Ruff Ryders rapper DMX. Between his performance of Mary J. Blige's "Rainy Days," and "I Cry," the rapper shouted,
"Hey Earl! What n----, you mad at the world or just me? Because I'm on top of the world? S---, you're acting like I shot your dog, f---ed your girl. You crack addict!"
Ja Rule was calmer throughout the rest of his show. Although it seems difficult for a rapper to do an entire set without guest vocals from singers like Jennifer Lopez and Ashanti, whom he has collaborated with in the past, this was not an obstacle. The fans substituted the female parts for songs like "Always on Time," and "I'm Real."
The artist ended the show with a brief sample from the current hit, "Down 4 U," which, as expected, was mostly sung by the enthusiastic crowd. In a brief but loud farewell, he proclaimed to the audience,
"Hey Buffalo! It feels real good tonight, here. I love you motherf---ers. Be looking for my new album in stores Nov. 19 . the name of the album is 'The Last Temptation!' Mad love, y'all, I'm out."
Backstage with Mr. Smith
In a small, makeshift dressing room in the basement of Alumni Arena, LL Cool J sat in a chair, calmly taking interviews with the college press. Which was quite surprising since only twenty minutes earlier, the rapper was sweating and working out on stage during his energetic show. But his performance at Fall Fest is actually a footnote to his tour this summer, his first in four years.
And contrary to what a colleague in the office thought, none of the girls who were on stage during "Doin' It" were in his dressing room. The rapper, after all, is 34-years-old, married, with four kids.
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