Ja Rule is an unquestioned legend in hip-hop. The Queens native holds the distinction of being one most successful artists of the 90s and 2000s. Launching his rap career in 1994 with the group Cash Money Click, Ja linked up with Irv Gotti, an up-and-coming producer and mogul at the time, who signed him to Def Jam Records. He made his first solo appearance on Mic Geronimo’s “Time to Build” in 1995, alongside future fellow icons, Jay-Z and DMX. In 1999, Ja released “Holla Holla,” his first hit from his platinum-selling album Venni Vetti Vecci, which was a sign of things to come. His sophomore project, Rule 3:36, debuted at the number of the US Billboard 200, selling more than 276,000 copies in its first week of release as the flagship artist of Murder Inc. Records. Eventually, the album went triple platinum. The smash hits on the album were “Between Me & You” featuring Christina Milian, “Put It on Me” featuring Vita and Lil Mo, and “I Cry” featuring Lil Mo. In 2001, Ja appeared on Jennifer Lopez’s “I’m Real (Murder Remix)”  which held the number one spot on the Billboard 100 for five consecutive weeks. Throughout the 2000s, Ja would release several more chart-topping songs such as  “Living It Up,” “Thug Lovin’,” “Always on Time,” and “Mesmerize,” making him a global superstar. Almost 30 years after his debut in the game, Ja is still in demand all over the world, playing sold-out concerts and festivals. A veteran of the Summer Jam stage, Ja played one of the biggest shows in the history of the event in 2001 and several other shows throughout the years. At Summer Jam 2025, “Ja and Friends” will honor the life and legacy of Irv Gotti, who passed away in February. To catch “Ja on Friends” on stage, make sure you get your tickets to Summer Jam 2025, which will be returning to Newark, New Jersey, at the Prudential Center on Friday, June 20.

Ryan Coogler’s sexy, R-rated, vampire-thriller Sinners debuted at 45.6 million at the box office its opening weekend, making it the biggest film debut since Jordan Peele’s Us, released in 2019. According to Variety, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners collected “a solid $45.6 million from 3,308 North American theaters.” Internationally, the film made an additional $15.4 million, which would push the film’s global sales to around $61 million. Set in the 1930s, the film centers on twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both portrayed by Michael B. Jordan) trying to leave their troubled past behind and return home to Mississippi, “only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back,” per the film’s synopsis. Alongside Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’Connell, Delroy Lindo, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller, and Wunmi Mosaku also star in the film’s cast. Sinners also highlights Black musicians’ impact on Blues music and its roots in the Mississippi Delta. “The film is a study in the blues,” Ryan Coogler told The Phildelphia Inquirer. “I feel that this is America’s most significant contribution to world popular culture. It all started right there in Mississippi. When you delve deeper into it, you’ll discover a lot of spiritual and supernatural elements.” He continues, “The musicians are playing songs about enduring demon torment and making agreements with malevolent deities. I also learned that church members judged the relationship, which was fascinating. Many of the most significant musicians emerged from the church.” Coogler says he wanted to show the “duality” of the people “going to church on Sunday or in a nightclub hours before on a Saturday night.” He added, “I wanted to investigate and convey that dichotomy, as well as the link to the continent and what storytelling and musical storytelling meant to us there.”