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Ja Rule and Jay-Z are industry legends. The former has, admittedly, had more business drama over the last decade that Hova. Remember Fyre Fest? We digress. The rapper’s decision to link up with Jay-Z’s REFORM Alliance is an inspired one, especially given the cause that both men decided to support. Jay and Ja combined their efforts to put on a Mother’s Day luncheon for moms who also happen to be ex-cons. The luncheon was held Tuesday, May 7, in New York City.

Ja Rule took lead on the event. He gathered an estimated 40 different women to come and reflect on how their time behind bars affected their approach to motherhood. The rapper discussed his reasoning for putting the Mother’s Day luncheon with Billboard. He freely admitted that him and his mother had a difficult time paying rent when he was younger, and recalls feeling helpless as a result. “When we were going through an eviction at one of our apartments, this particular time it kind of broke my mom the way I never seen before, and she was crying,” he recalled. “In that moment, I feel like I became a man because I understood the assignment, as they say.”

Ja Rule Hosted The REFORM Alliance Event In Person

This is a far cry from the Ja Rule who attacked Eminem‘s mother on the diss song “Loose Change.” Ja went at Slim Shady during his prime in the 2000s, and dropped what remains one of the cruelest bars ever written. “Em, you claim your mother’s a crackhead and Kim is a known slut,” he spit. “So what’s Hailie gon’ be when she grows up?”. It’s no wonder things remain frigid between Ja and Eminem to this day. The New York rapper has a better relationship with Jay-Z, despite also having tension with him back in the day.

Ja Rule was actually supposed to be part of a supergroup with Hov and DMX in the 1990s. An album never materialized, however, as all three rappers would go on beef with one another. “We knew what was going on, but it was kind of like pulling teeth to get it done,” he told HipHopDX. “Jay and X, you couldn’t get them in the same room together… I’d known them before they were who they were.” Ja and Jay are committed to making a positive change in the present, and they’re seemingly doing a good job.