I remember falling in love with hip-hop in the third grade. Ja Rule was my first favorite rapper. At the time I may have been too young to be thinking about a girlfriend, but I knew that Ja Rule’s music made me want to have one. Now that I’m a mature 25, I look back and realize that the former Def Jam recording artist music gave connotation to the term “ride-or-die.”

Before we accepted accepted Drake in hip-hop as a soft-hearted thug singing on tracks, we accepted Ja Rule. Before the words love and hip-hop were joined together for the title of a VH1 reality tv show, Ja Rule combined them to bring us timeless music that doesn’t get the recognition that it deserves.

Enjoy some of Ja Rule’s classic hip-hop loves songs below. He brought the female vocals along with him. Ashanti, Charlie Baltimore, Vita, Lil’ Mo, and Christina Milian were all down for the ride.