Together they worked with producer DJ Irv to produce a number of songs, releasing their debut single 'Get Tha Fortune' independently in 1994. He took the stage name 'Ja Rule', telling MTV News that the name came from a friend who addressed him by that name other friends simply called him 'Ja'. Career Cash Money Click (1993-1995) Ītkins began his rap career in 1993 with the hip hop group Cash Money Click alongside members Chris Black and O-1. Atkins began selling drugs at age 12 in Hollis. Atkins' mother left the Jehovah's Witness religion when he was 12. His mother, Debra, was a healthcare worker, and due to the amount of time she spent working, Atkins was largely raised by his grandparents as a Jehovah's Witness.
Atkins was raised as an only child, as his younger sister, Kristen, died in the womb from breathing complications when Atkins was 5.
Jeffrey's father left the family when he was very young. Ja Rule was born Jeffrey Bruce Atkins on February 29, 1976, to Debra and William Atkins in Hollis, a section of the Queens borough of New York City. Records, The Mirror and Mpire Music Group (2009)
