July 20—Rap fans can celebrate with a visit to classic rap duo Ja Rule and Ashanti, performing at Aloha Tower Marketplace in October. Tickets for the concert will go on sale Saturday.
Ja Rule, also known as Jeffrey Bruce Atkins, landed several Billboard Top 100 hits from 1999 to 2005, including “Between Me and You” (with Christina Milian), “I’m Real (Murder Remix )” and “Ain’t It Funny” (both featuring Jennifer Lopez, who now goes by the name Jennifer Lynn Affleck after marrying actor Ben Affleck).
He received four Grammy nominations from 2002 to 2003. Ja Rule’s career has also been marked by controversy, as he feuded with fellow rapper 50 Cent and went to prison in 2011 for tax evasion and tax violations. weapons. He spent his time in prison finishing high school and last year took an online certification program from Harvard Business School and said he wanted to get into the tech industry.
His collaborations with Ashanti were among his most successful accomplishments: “Always on Time” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, “Mesmerize” reached No. 2, and “Wonderful,” which also featured R Kelly, reached No. 7. .
For her part, Ashanti, also known as Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas, has had notable accomplishments herself, including a Grammy for her self-titled debut album in 2003, which featured the No. 1 hit “Foolish.” Her early success also created controversy when it was announced that she would receive the Soul Train Aretha Franklin Award for “Artist of the Year” and an online petition against her attracted 30,000 signatures from people who believed that she was too new to receive an award. named after an established star. She received the award to thunderous applause and sold over 15 million records.
Both performers branched out into acting, with Ja Rule starring in the movie “Half Past Dead,” starring Steven Seagal, and Ashanti appearing in several movies and TV shows, including the 1980s soap opera update” Dynasty”. “
While Ashanti suggested in 2018 that they would collaborate again, the project has yet to come to fruition. The two have remained close and are filming together this summer.
Tickets for the October 22 Aloha Tower Marketplace event range from $55 to $125 and go on sale at 9 a.m. Saturday at.
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