Ja Rule is giving himself flowers for one of his breakout moments, his guest verse on Jay-Z’s 1998 hit “Can I Get A…,” and he’s confident no one did it better.
During his appearance on the 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast, Ja reflected on the classic track, claiming he had the standout performance, and broke down what made his style unique.
“I think I got the best verse on it,” Ja Rule said. “But you know there’s layers to it. You know what I’m saying? Like Hov is a wordsmith. He’s gonna put that shit and put it all in pocket for you. I’m more on the flow side of it, I’mma flow that muthafucker out. That’s why you hear him kind of get that flow. Ain’t nobody flowing like me on the record. Flow is different.”
Ja continued, explaining how that song marked a turning point for his melodic delivery: “That’s what caught people’s eye, like, ‘Who’s this n***a?’ Big voice n***a but he be in that pocket. That’s my thing,” he said. “And I feel like that’s where the melodic shit came from too, just me bending and stretching flows and doing different things with my flows. Don’t nobody do that better than me.”
“Can I Get A…” remains one of the defining records of the late ’90s hip-hop era. Released in 1998 as the lead single from the Rush Hour soundtrack before appearing on Jay-Z’s third studio album Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life, the track featured Jay-Z, Ja Rule, and Amil, and was produced by Irv Gotti and Lil’ Rob.
The single became a massive success, peaking at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning RIAA platinum certification. It helped catapult Ja Rule’s career just months before the release of his debut album Venni Vetti Vecci while also cementing Jay-Z’s rise into mainstream dominance.
