Pain Is Love

Pain Is Love
Studio album by Ja Rule
Released October 2, 2001
Recorded 2000-2001
Genre Hip hop
Length 62:15
Label Murder Inc./Def Jam
Producer Irv Gotti, Lil' Rob, Ty Fyffe, & Missy Elliott
Ja Rule chronology
Rule 3:36
(2000)
Pain Is Love
(2001)
The Last Temptation
(2002)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic link
Entertainment Weekly ( B+) link
HipHopDX link
Los Angeles Times link
RapReviews (7.5/10) link
Rolling Stone link
USA Today link

Pain Is Love is the third studio album by American Rapper Ja Rule released in 2001. Its sequel is set to be released January 17, 2012 titled Pain Is Love 2.

Contents

Background

Pain is Love was commercially successful in Hip-Hop, it spawned two number one singles, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with 361,000 copies sold in the first week and eventually went triple platinum in the US.[1] It was also one of the top selling albums of 2001 winning numerous awards. It was among the best selling albums of the decade, selling 6 million copies worldwide. This album was released when Ja Rule was at the peak of his career, also spawning success on other tracks with Jennifer Lopez and labelmate Ashanti, which also led to more Billboard Hot 100 No.1's.

The track "So Much Pain" is a dedication to the late rappers Tupac Shakur and Randy "Stretch" Walker. The song is a remix of "Pain", which is a song by 2Pac that was originally released in 1994 on the Above The Rim Soundtrack. As of 2010 the acapella version of 2Pac's song "Pain" leaked onto the internet. However when this album was made, the master that contained the acapella was supposedly lost. This is why the beat changes when 2Pac raps his verse.

Track listing

No. Title Producer(s) Length
1. "Pain Is Love" (Skit) 1:20
2. "Dial M for Murder"   Irv Gotti & Ty Fyffe 3:32
3. "Livin' It Up" (featuring Case) Irv Gotti & Lil' Rob 4:17
4. "The INC." (featuring Cadillac Tah, Black Child & Ashanti) Irv Gotti 3:56
5. "Always on Time" (featuring Ashanti) Irv Gotti 4:05
6. "Down A** B**ch" (featuring Charli Baltimore) Irv Gotti 5:31
7. "Never Again"   Irv Gotti 4:18
8. "Worldwide Gangsta" (featuring Cadillac Tah, Black Child, Boo & Gotti) Irv Gotti 3:20
9. "Leo" (Skit)   2:18
10. "I'm Real (Murder Remix)" (featuring Jennifer Lopez) Irv Gotti 4:12
11. "Smokin' & Ridin'" (featuring Jodie Mack & O-1) Irv Gotti 4:51
12. "X" (featuring Missy Elliott & Tweet) Irv Gotti 5:02
13. "Big Remo" (Skit)   0:19
14. "Lost Little Girl"   Irv Gotti 5:00
15. "So Much Pain" (featoring 2Pac) Irv Gotti & Lil' Rob 5:03
16. "Pain Is Love"   Irv Gotti 5:04

Chart positions

Chart (2001) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200 1
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 1
Canadian Albums Chart 3
Australian Albums Chart 6
UK Albums Chart 3
Preceded by
The Blueprint by Jay-Z
Billboard 200 number-one album
October 20 - November 2, 2001
Succeeded by
God Bless America by Various artists

References