Jeff Atkins (make that JA) has caught the drift of significant rhyming since he was 16 and growing up in Queens, N.Y. If rapping is a competitive world, watch out for JA Rule's strength. It's tough to carve your niche, but JA's debut album has some deadly material. This includes the hard track, "It's Murda," in which JA gets together with DMX and Jay-Z. Listen to the in-your-face "World's Most Dangerous" to get a declaration on street survival.

JA's gearing up for major stretches, including "25 to Life," featuring JA with Juvenile and Xzibit.

The hustle is also on for JA Rule's riveting debut album, Venni, Vetti, Vecci (Latin for "He came, he saw, he conquered"), which came in at No. 3 during the first week of its release. Contributions include appearances by fellow rappers Memphis Bleek, Erick Sermon, DMX and Jay-Z. JA's early exposure on Jay-Z's hit single, "Can I Get A," was beneficial as was his time on the recent Hard Knock Life tour.

JA fans appreciate his appearance in two videos, "Holla Holla," (featuring also Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Memphis Bleek, Hot Totti, Black Child and Taj Murder) and "Murda 4 Life" (with Memphis Bleek). And, with fellow rapper Pras, he's in "Ghetto Supastar"

Continuing his hot streak, his next effort, 3:36, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top 200 album chart.