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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ja Rule Crossing Over On "Pain Is Love", July 16, 2002
Ja Rule, the raspy voiced rapper (just like DMX) is back with his third full-length album "Pain Is Love". Though his second album "Rule 3:36" had more pop appeal with songs like "Between Me And You" w/ Christinia Milean and "Put It On Me" w/ Vita than his first "Venni Vetta Vecca", he moves way closer to being a pop act on this album.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.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Unnecessary Profanity !, April 30, 2002
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'.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A 'Pain'-ful reminder of what mainstream rap has become..., January 11, 2002
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"). <<Pain Is 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), <<Pain is Love>> 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?
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