The Last Temptation (Ja Rule album)

The Last Temptation
Studio album by Ja Rule
Released November 19, 2002
Recorded 2001–2002
Genre Hip hop, East coast hip hop
Length 54:46
Label Murder Inc., Def Jam
Producer Irv Gotti, 7 Aurelius, Chink Santana, The Neptunes, Cool & Dre
Ja Rule chronology
Pain Is Love
(2001)		 The Last Temptation
(2002)		 Blood in My Eye
(2003)
Singles from The Last Temptation
  1. "Thug Lovin'"
    Released: September 24, 2002
  2. "Mesmerize"
    Released: December 16, 2002
  3. "The Reign"
    Released: 2003
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic57/100
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Blender[2]
RapReviews(6/10)[3]
NME(6/10)[4]
MVRemix Urban(3.5/10)[5]

The Last Temptation is the fourth studio album by Ja Rule.[6]

This album contained singles such as "Thug Lovin'" (featuring Bobby Brown), "Mesmerize" (featuring Ashanti) and "The Pledge (Remix)" (by Ashanti featuring Nas, Ja Rule and 2Pac). "Murder Reigns" was also released as a single titled "Reign" in select territories outside of North America, such as Europe and Australasia. The song "Pop Niggas" gained some attention after it was reported to be talking in part about 50 Cent. Pharrell was featured in the song, but not credited. Other guests featured on the album include: Bobby Brown, Ashanti, Nas, Alexi, Charli Baltimore, 2Pac, Caddillac Tah, Celeste Scalone, Eastwood, Crooked I, Young Life & Chink Santana.

The album was successful, moving 237,000 units in its first week,[7] but less than his previous Pain Is Love. "Mesmerize" is ranked at #45 on Blender's list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever",[8] but was the most successful single from the album, reaching number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. It was also criticized by fans, saying that the album sounded too commercial, and that Ja Rule was selling out; in addition, many of Ja Rule's enemies such as Daz Dillinger, Eminem, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, G-Unit, Obie Trice, D12, Busta Rhymes,and DMX said that Ja Rule was trying to be just like Tupac Shakur, which fueled the rivalry even more. Though it did not manage to surpass Pain Is Love, The Last Temptation is Ja Rule's third most popular album to date.

The album was released in a censored version as well which removes most profanity. However, sex-related lyrics like "gettin' head" and violent lyrics like "murder" are left in.

Track listing

No. TitleProducer(s) Length
1. "Intro"    0:20
2. "Thug Lovin'" (featuring Bobby Brown)Chink Santana, Irv Gotti 4:50
3. "Mesmerize" (featuring Ashanti)Chink Santana, Irv Gotti 4:38
4. "Pop Niggas"  The Neptunes 4:29
5. "The Pledge (Remix)" (featuring Ashanti, Nas & 2Pac)7 Aurelius, Irv Gotti 3:54
6. "Murder Reigns"  7 Aurelius, Irv Gotti 4:03
7. "Last Temptation" (featuring Charli Baltimore)Chink Santana, Irv Gotti 4:58
8. "Murder Me" (featuring Cadillac Tah & Alexi)Chink Santana, Irv Gotti 5:15
9. "The Warning"  Chink Santana, Irv Gotti 5:05
10. "Connected" (featuring Eastwood & Crooked I)Chink Santana, Irv Gotti 4:54
11. "Emerica" (featuring Chink Santana & Young Life)Chink Santana, Irv Gotti 5:16
12. "Rock Star"  Chink Santana, Irv Gotti 4:58
13. "Destiny (Outro)"  Cool & Dre 2:05
Sample credits

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2002-03) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] 29
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[10] 50
Irish Albums (IRMA)[11] 30
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[12] 11
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] 27
UK Albums (OCC)[14] 14
US Billboard 200[15] 4
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[16] 2

Year-end charts

Chart (2003) Position
Australian Album Chart[17] 95
US Billboard 200[18] 40
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[19] 14

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[20] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[21] Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[23] Platinum 1,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. ↑ Blender review Archived November 22, 2005 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ RapReviews review
  4. ↑ NME review
  5. ↑ MVRemix Urban review
  6. ↑ "The Last Temptation: Ja Rule: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
  7. ↑ Reid, Shaheem (2003-12-06). "Ja Rule Done Lashing Out At 50, Will Be Himself Again On New LP - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
  8. ↑ "The 50 Worst Songs Ever! Watch, Listen and Cringe!". Blender. Archived from the original on January 25, 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
  9. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Ja Rule – The Last Temptation". Hung Medien.
  10. ↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
  11. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 47, 2002". Chart-Track. IRMA.
  12. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Ja Rule – The Last Temptation". Hung Medien.
  13. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Ja Rule – The Last Temptation". Hung Medien.
  14. ↑ "Ja Rule | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart
  15. ↑ "Ja Rule – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Ja Rule. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Ja Rule – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Ja Rule. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  17. ↑ "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Albums 2003". ARIA. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Year-End Charts: Billboard 200 Albums - 2003". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Year-End Charts: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - 2003". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  20. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2003 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Ja Rule – The Last Temptation". Music Canada. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  22. ↑ "British album certifications – Ja Rule – The Last Temptation". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 7, 2015. Enter The Last Temptation in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
  23. ↑ "American album certifications – Ja Rule – The Last Temptation". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 7, 2015. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
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