Venni Vetti Vecci

Venni Vetti Vecci
A sepia-colored album cover. On the lower part of the cover, the upper torso of an African American man is seen. His head is turned upward, eyes closed and hands clasped together. On the upper part of the cover, behind the man, stands a white statue of Jesus Christ, with its arms stretched outward, with its palms facing upward. In the center, it reads "Ja Rule" in all capital letters.
Studio album by Ja Rule
Released June 1, 1999
Recorded 1998–99
Genre
Length 76:17
Label
Producer
Ja Rule chronology
Venni Vetti Vecci
(1999)		 Rule 3:36
(2000)
Singles from Venni Vetti Vecci
  1. "Holla Holla"
    Released: March 2, 1999
  2. "Daddy's Little Baby"
    Released: June 16, 1999
  3. "Holla Holla (Remix)"
    Released: July 18, 1999
  4. "Kill 'Em All"
    Released: October 3, 1999
  5. "It's Murda"
    Released: December 21, 1999

Venni Vetti Vecci is the debut studio album by American hip hop recording artist Ja Rule. It was released on June 1, 1999, by Murder Inc. Records, distributed by Def Jam. The album title alludes to the Latin phrase "veni, vidi, vici", meaning "I came, I saw, I conquered". The album was his first release on Irv Gotti's *Murder Inc; under the imprint of Def Jam. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Background

In 1995, Ja Rule was one of the first artists to be featuring on Mic Geronimo's "Time to Build". He then formed a group named "Cash Money Click" with his friends. The group then signed a deal to TVT Records. Under their association to TVT Records, the group has recorded two of their albums, releasing one single, before they're been dropped from the label. Ja Rule called it a "bullshit deal" as TVT, withheld the publishing royalties of the recorded material. While working as an executive producer for Def Jam, a record producer Irv Gotti was hired as A&R and convinced Ja Rule to signed a deal with the label.[1]

Russell Simmons (who was the founder of Def Jam, CEO and a mentor for American rapper named Gotti) then decided to give Gotti from the label what he wanted it for so long. In 1998, Murder Inc. Records was founded by promoting and marketing Ja Rule, which places him on these songs among the artists with Jay-Z, LL Cool J, DMX, Cash Money Records and Fat Joe. Due to Ja Rule's exceptional performances on these songs, according to Def Jam; the representatives from the label it gave this album a release date.

Title

The album title, Venni Vetti Vecci refers to the Latin phrase "veni, vidi, vici", which means "I came, I saw, I conquered".[2]

Music

The track, titled "Only Begotten Son", which alludes to the biblical verses John 3:16 and John 3:18, in which signifying "the father so feared the world that he left his only begotten son, in order to show that pain is love".[3]

Artwork

The album cover of Venni Vetti Vecci features Ja Rule with his head turned upward, eyes closed and hands clasped together, standing in front of a white statue of Jesus. It has been interpreted as referring to the "only begotten son" metaphor.[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
RapReviews(6/10)[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
Vibeunfavorable[8]

Upon its release, Venni Vetti Vecci received generally mixed reviews. Ja Rule received several comparisons to fellow rappers Tupac Shakur and DMX.[7] Writing for Vibe magazine, Shaheem Reid felt that the majority of the album was "hampered by colorless production", stating that Ja Rule "desperately needs tighter tracks to compliment his MC skills".[8]

Commercial performance

Venni Vetti Vecci debuted at number 3 on the US Billboard 200, selling 184,000 copies in its first week.[9] The album became a certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[10] In November 2002, the album had sold 2 million copies worldwide.[11]

Aftermath

Ja Rule became one of the biggest hip hop stars, along with Jay-Z and DMX. With their albums, Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life and It's Dark and Hell Is Hot, which all gained notoriety and multi-platinum sales. Because of these albums, Ja Rule was able to tour with these artists as they formed a group titled, Murder Inc., who fittingly signed to Murder Inc./Def Jam. He was an opening act for Jay-Z and DMX on the 1998's "Hard Knock Life" tour, along with Memphis Bleek. The success of the album led to the credibility for Irv Gotti as a producer. The album, produced by Gotti was also overseen by Chris Lighty and Violator Management, ironically one of the companies that Ja Rule now has issues with.

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "The March Prelude"   Irv Gotti 1:19
2. "We Here Now" (featuring Black Child) Irv Gotti, Lil Rob 3:25
3. "World's Most Dangerous" (featuring Nemesis) Irv Gotti, Lil Rob, Tyrone Fyffe 5:07
4. "Let's Ride"   Irv Gotti, Lil Rob 4:22
5. "Holla Holla"   Irv Gotti, Tai 4:24
6. "Kill 'Em All" (featuring Jay-Z) Self Service 4:17
7. "I Hate Nigguz (Skit)"     1:06
8. "Nigguz Theme"   Irv Gotti, Lil Rob 4:09
9. "Suicide Freestyle" (featuring Case) Irv Gotti 2:16
10. "Story to Tell"   Irv Gotti, Lil Rob 4:05
11. "Chris Black (Skit)"     1:40
12. "Count On Yo Nigga"   Irv Gotti, Lil Rob 4:35
13. "It's Murda" (featuring Jay-Z & DMX) Tyrone Fyffe 3:36
14. "E-Dub and Ja" (featuring Erick Sermon) Irv Gotti, Erick Sermon 4:14
15. "187 Murda Baptiss Church (Skit)"     2:48
16. "Murda 4 Life" (featuring Memphis Bleek) Irv Gotti, Tai 4:48
17. "Daddy's Little Baby" (featuring Ronald Isley) Self Service 5:20
18. "Race Against Time"   Irv Gotti, Lil Rob 4:43
19. "Only Begotten Son"   Irv Gotti, Lil Rob, Tyrone Fyffe 4:55
20. "The Murderers" (featuring Black Child & Tah Murdah) Irv Gotti, DL 5:08
Sample credits

Personnel

Credits for Venni Vetti Vecci adapted from Allmusic.[12]

Sequel

In 2008, Ja Rule released the mixtape titled The Atkins Files, Vol. 1. The mixtape was a comeback, after the long awaited from his album The Mirror. In this mixtape, he explains his plans on releasing a sequel to Venni Vetti Vecci.

Chart positions

Chart (1999) Peak
position
Canadian Albums Chart[13] 20
US Billboard 200[13] 3
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[13] 1

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ogg, Alex (2002). The Men Behind Def Jam: The Radical Rise of Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin. Omnibus Press. p. 227. ISBN 0-7119-8873-0.
  2. ↑ Farber, Jim (June 21, 1999). "Ja Rule, The Conqueror, Drug Dealer Turned Rapper Has Got a Lot to 'Holla' About". New York Daily News. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  3. 1 2 Blount, Brian K.; Felder, Cain Hope; Martin, Clarice Jannette (2007). True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary. Fortress Press. p. 190. ISBN 0-8006-3421-7.
  4. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Venni Vetti Vecci > Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  5. ↑ Baker, Soren (May 30, 1999). "Ja Rule; 'Venni Vetti Vecci'; Def Jam; ** 1/2". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  6. ↑ Juon, Steve (July 15, 1999). "Ja Rule :: Venni Vetti Vecci :: Def Jam". RapReviews. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  7. 1 2 Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide: Completely Revised and Updated 4th Edition. Simon & Schuster. pp. 422–423. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  8. 1 2 "Vibe". Vibe. Vibe Media Group. 7 (5): 182. 1999.
  9. ↑ "Backstreet Boys Hold Off Ja Rule, Jennifer Lopez on Chart". MTV News. June 9, 1999. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  10. ↑ "RIAA – Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Billboard". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 114 (45): 182. 2002.
  12. ↑ "Venni Vetti Vecci > Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  13. 1 2 3 "Venni Vetti Vecci – Ja Rule". Billboard. Nielse Business Media. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
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