The Last Temptation (Ja Rule album)

The Last Temptation is the fourth studio album by American rapper Ja Rule.[6] It was released by Murder Inc. and Def Jam on November 19, 2002.

The Last Temptation
Studio album by
Ja Rule
ReleasedNovember 19, 2002 (2002-11-19)
Recorded2002
Genre
Length54:46
Label
Producer
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: November 24, 2002
  2. "Mesmerize"
    Released: January 16, 2003
  3. "Murder Reigns"
    Released: March 29, 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]

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. On December 13, 2002 the album was certified Platinum. "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 US Billboard Hot 100 and number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. The album also received criticism from fans, saying that the album sounded too commercial, and that Ja Rule was selling out: in addition, many artists that Ja Rule was feuding with, 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 rivalries even more. Though neither its debut nor lifetime sales ever matched those of Pain Is Love, The Last Temptation is Ja Rule's third highest-selling album to date. As of February 1, 2006, the album has sold 2.4 million copies in the United States and 4.3 million worldwide.

Track listing
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Intro" 0:20
2."Thug Lovin'" (featuring Bobby Brown)Chink Santana, Irv Gotti4:50
3."Mesmerize" (featuring Ashanti)Chink Santana, Irv Gotti4:38
4."Pop Niggas"The Neptunes4:29
5."The Pledge (Remix)" (featuring Ashanti, Nas & 2Pac)7 Aurelius, Irv Gotti3:54
6."Murder Reigns" (featuring Celeste Scalone)7 Aurelius, Irv Gotti4:03
7."Last Temptation" (featuring Charli Baltimore)Chink Santana, Irv Gotti4:58
8."Murder Me" (featuring Caddillac Tah & Alexi)Chink Santana, Irv Gotti5:15
9."The Warning"Chink Santana, Irv Gotti5:05
10."Connected" (featuring Eastwood & Crooked I)Chink Santana, Irv Gotti4:54
11."Emerica" (featuring Young Life & Chink Santana)Chink Santana, Irv Gotti5:16
12."Rock Star"Chink Santana, Irv Gotti4:58
13."Destiny (Outro)"Cool & Dre2:05
Sample credits

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[21] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[22] Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[24] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments 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". 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.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)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  16. "Ja Rule Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  17. "2002 UK Albums Chart" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  18. "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Albums 2003". ARIA. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  19. "Year-End Charts: Billboard 200 Albums - 2003". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  20. "Year-End Charts: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - 2003". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  21. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2003 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  22. "Canadian album certifications – Ja Rule – The Last Temptation". Music Canada. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  23. "British album certifications – Ja Rule – The Last Temptation". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 7, 2015. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type The Last Temptation in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  24. "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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