November IO. 2004
FOCUS
in **''I ß o r tla n i» ( P b a c r u e r
page C3
Back in Style
/a Rule releases comeback album
Rapper Ja Rule poses in his recording studio in the SOHO neighborhood
of New York. (AP photo)
Ongoing and
Upcoming Music
The Blue Monk on Belmont plays live jazz.
For a schedule, visit www.thebluemonk.com.
Interstate Bar and Grill has mature live music
at 4234 N. Interstate. The Black Notes play
Thursdays at the Candlelight Room. Mel
Brown plays jazz at Jimmy Maks on Tuesdays,
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at Salty’s on
the Columbia. A Community Unity Breakfast is
held every third Thursday at SEI at 7:30 a.m.
Skip Elliott Bowman Jazz Trio plays Saturdays
from 10 a.m. to noon at Hannah Bea’s, on
northeast MLK Jr. Blvd. and Shaver. R&B
and live funk bands perform weekends at the
Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center.
(A P)— Ja Rule probably should have
battled nemesis 50 Cent with sticks and
stones, considering what happened after
their war of words.
A few years ago, Ja Rule was among
the most popular - and overexposed -
figures in hip-hop. His first four albums
had sold millions of copies each. His
deep, gravelly voice, either in rap form or
an off-key warble, punctuated hit after
hit. Heenjoyed numerous collaborations
with artists ranging from J.Loto Jay-Zto
labelmate Ashanti.
Then a pre-superstar 50 Cent blew up
with the song “Wanksta,” a thinly veiled
attack calling Ja a fake gangsta wannabe
perpetrating a tough-guy image. Even
though Ja fired back on underground
songs, interviews and last year’s “ Blood
in My Eye” album, the image seemed to
stick.
As his beef with 50 Cent escalated,
the man born Jeffrey Atkins suddenly
became uncool. His catchy harmonizing
was considered wack and weak. Some
said the verbal wounds would be fatal to
Chains of Sexism
PCC’s theater presents ‘Nora’
The Portland Community College Theater Arts Program is
celebrating the I Oth anni versary o f the Sy I vania Campus Perform
ing Arts Center this year with Henrik Ibsen’s classic play ‘A
D oll’s House.'
The adapted play, titled ‘N ora,’ is by famed theatrical and film
director Ingmar Bergman. He retells the timeless tale of a heroine
who realizes her marriage is false, and that she has been nothing
but a ‘doll w ife’ to her husband.
T heplayissetfor7:30p.m .onN ov. 12-13, l8-20and2p.m .on
Sunday, Nov. 21. All performances are in the arts center, 12(MX)
S.W. 49th Ave. Please be warned that the play contains brief
nudity.
Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for all PCC students and staff,
and seniors. Call the PCC box office at 503-977-4949.
Torvald (Noel Thomas)
berates his wife Nora
(Michaelyn Perdue) in PCC’s
production of ‘Nora. ’
his career.
Not quite.
His sixth album, “R.U.L.E.,” released
Tuesday, is being buoyed by the hit
“Wonderful,” featuring R. Kelly and
Ashanti. And Ja didn't even have to
change his style - he’s still crooning
badly, still rhyming with the same blus
tery excitement.
“If we come out of this, and we do our
thing, that’s a big story. It was all odds
against us. No one thought we would,”
boasts Irv Gotti, head of Ja’s record
label. The Inc., formerly known as Mur
der Inc.
Both Gotti and Ja say they never
considered altering the image and style
that earned him so much criticism. Now
it looks like they were right: The forever
fickle audience is falling back in love
with him again. At Jay-Z’s all-star blow
out concert at Madison Square Garden
on Nov. 1, Ja got one of the evening’s
biggest ovations.
Everything is finally coming back
around. Just like Ja knew it would.