00′s Throwback: Ja Rule & Ashanti – “Always On Time”

Cast your mind back to 2001 and you’ll remember that hip-hop/R&B duo Ja Rule and Ashanti were creating quite a name for themselves, particularly stateside. For, they were the main faces of hip-hop collective and record label Murder Inc. (now known as The Inc.). During their peak they released many collaborative efforts, but none soared higher than “Always on Time” – peaking at number 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and featuring on their Hot R&B/Hip Songs of the Decade chart.

Travel back to yesteryear below:

The Irv Gotti production became Ashanti’s first to reach the top spot and Ja Rule’s second, and is among their most commercially successful singles to date. It was the third to be taken from Ja Rule’s multi-platinum selling disc “Pain Is Love”.

For Ashanti the song acted as an apt introduction to the music world, along with another hit collaboration – this time with rapper Fat Joe – for the no. 2 single “What’s Luv“. In fact, both collaborations were still on the charts by the time her solo debut track “Foolish” entered, making her the first artist since The Beatles to have 3 songs charting in the top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100 simultaneously. Her accompanying self-titled debut went on to sell over 500,000 copies in its first week – holding the record for the fastest selling debut by a female R&B artist.

Both Ja Rule and Ashanti went on to have multiple successes over the subsequent years. This included releasing more hit collaborations – including 2002’s “Mesmerize”, which went on to peak at no. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100, and 2004’s “Wonderful” alongside R.Kelly. However, this was the last time the duo was seen with a major hit record.

For, since 2004 both have parted ways from The Inc. and have experienced declining levels of success. Ashanti went on to release 4^th studio album “The Declaration” in 2008 and despite doing relatively well in its debut week, it quickly disappeared off the charts and has sold a very modest 300,000 copies to date – an amount of which Ashanti, at her peak, would easily clear in her debut week. Ja Rule, on the other hand, apart from releasing digital album “The Mirror” in 2009, has chosen to remain out of the spotlight.

However, 2012 will mark the return of both, as they gear up to release new studio albums. Ja Rule is set to release “Pain Is Love 2” – with a tentative release date of January 17th, while Ashanti is set to release new single “No Good” from her 5th studio album within the coming months.

With hip-hop collective Young Money currently dominating the airwaves in the same way The Inc. did in the early 00’s, it’ll be interesting to see whether they still have a large enough following to propel them back to the top. What’s more, given that the comeback marks an important release for both, it would make for a good strategic move on both parts if they were to collaborate once again, especially as we know the two are still on good terms. For, they recently reunited on stage with former label mate Lloyd back in April of this year. Check out the reunion, which was hailed as “Epic” by Ja Rule, below: