The first song you hear would tell you otherwise, though. "Dial M For Murder" is a hardcore rap track that would make you think Ja was going back to his roots on his first album, but, really, the next song tells you completely different. "Livin' It Up" w/ Case is a fun little party song that adepts well to pop radio, making it the first single was a wise decision by Rule, because it made the track an instant success. The following track "The Inc." also tells you Ja is trying to go hardcore rap, but, once again, the following track "Always On Time" w/ Ashanti makes you think he's going pop again.

The next song, "Down A** B***h" w/ Charli Baltimore, is lingering on the edge of pop and rap, but the next song "Never Again" brings it down to the rap world. Rapping about murdered friends and broken relationships, this is not a friendly radio song. The following track is also not radio freindly, the hardcore rap thrash "Worldwide Gangsta" is a pop fans worst nightmare.

The pop appeal re-enters on the huge hit remix of Jennifer Lopez's "I'm Real" and just keeps on going in "Smokin' And Ridin'". The dark appeal returns on tracks like "X" w/ Missy "Misdemeaner" Elliott and "So Much Pain" but are taken over by more pop tracks like "Lost Little Girls" and "Pain Is Love".

Ja Rule's skits, however, are very clever and funny, differing majorly from the skits off "3:36". "Leo", a comic stab at Miss Cleo, the "so-called physic" is very funny. The skit "Big Remo" is quite funny as well. The intro "Pain Is Love (Skit)" is more darker but is OK.

So, in all, Ja Rules "Pain Is Love" is his best yet. A nice blend of pop and rap. However, i fear, on Ja's next record, he might cross all the way over to the pop world.


Ja Rule Sucks So Much D1ck   June 11, 2004
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Look Ja, 2Pac is the greatest rapper that ever lived. You, on the other hand, are nowhere near him. Pain is one of the best songs 2Pac ever recorded, COME UP WITH YOUR OWN LYRICS! He took 2Pacs lyrics and re-worded them just a little and is getting credit for them like he wrote them.If you want the real song, buy the cassette version of the Above The Rim soundtrack,Or Go To http://www.oldversion.com/program.php?n=kazaalite and download kazaa lite (it's better than the regular kazaa) if you don't already have it to get the song it'll be worth it and you can see how ja rule just copied 2Pac's Lyrics. The original is way better and has 2 2Pac Verses. If you know and appreciate real rap, then you wont buy this. You'll buy, 2Pac,Biggie Ice Cube Or Snoop Dogg.


Unnecessary Profanity !   April 30, 2002
Aleshia-Marie Francis (England)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

On this rather unusual album, Ja has successfully found his originality. His raspy voice is very uncommon and can become slightly irritating after a while, but other than that, I thought that it wasn't a bad album, but there was room for improvement. Unfortunately, I found that there was too much unnecessary vulgar language. I mean, yes you're allowed to express your personal feelings in your songs, but I am sure you can find many other more useful words to replace these profanities. However, I do have quite a few favourite tunes on this album, which include LIVIN' IT UP, LOST LITTLE GIRL and ALWAYS ON TIME.
Ja Rules' collaboration with Jennifer Lopez and have produced some really cool remixes. `I'M REAL' remix was the first of many and I love this song. I'm not a real fan of Jennifer Lopez but since she has started working with Ja I have paid more attention to her work. She's not an exceptional singer and she hasn't got a special voice, but put Ja Rule and J.Lo together and you can expect something special. If you are a real Rap lover, I think that this is the perfect album for you. But I advise that you take heed of the warning on the front of the CD when it says `explicit content'.


A 'Pain'-ful reminder of what mainstream rap has become...   January 11, 2002
Andrew M. Schirmer (Seattle, WA USA)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

At it's best, rap can scour your cranium with red-hot lyrics and blistering beats. It can raise political awareness, yet also provide the perfect soundtrack for a night out. Some artists are able to handle this dichotomy; 2Pac is a perfect example. He was able to speak eloquently about social deterioration ("Keep Ya Head Up," "To Live and Die in LA") , while bragging about his sexual prowess ("I Get Around") and violent lifestyle ("California Love").

<> is truly the lowest rap can go. Not content with perpetuating black gangsta stereotypes (the cleverly titled "Dial M for Murder"), or giving us perhaps the worst Stevie Wonder rip-off since "Gangsta's Paradise" (the absolutely mindless "Livin' It Up"), Ja Rule must also subject us to some of the degenerate singing imaginable (the beauty/beast 'duet' of "I'm Real). From it's start (how many more Prince Paul-style skits do we need?) to its end (an attempt at redemption that rings hollow in light of statements elsewhere on the album), <> highlights the decline of what used to be a potent and relevant art form.

Like all other American creative art, rap has been put on the assembly line, packaged, and commercialised. The media has long known the profitability of perpetuating stereotypes, so why would they stop here?


Who knew there was such a thing as manufactured rap?   June 23, 2002
Kandy (Home of the Lost World)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I'm sure Ja Rule was not the first to do so, but he is in the current lead as #1 manufactured, radio-friendly rapper (Jay-Z could be considered but at least he delves into underground beats once in a while). His debut was more focused on streetlife but Ja himself said that afterwards, he took a look at what sort of music sold, therefore he shaped his songs to be more appealing to the mass market. His second and now his third album have been more dependant on featured R&B singers, catchy hooks and beats, and even Ja Rule hmself singing them. Should we punish him for wanting to increase his record sales? No but some amount of substance always outweighs a load of glitter.