Lil' Mo sings Happy Birthday to Jennifer Hudson

By Mr. Hollywood
JR Staff Writer

Long before Jennifer Hudson made it big, Lil' Mo was poised to be the future of R&B. Signed to Elektra Records, she worked closely with Missy Elliott. At the time, Missy was one of the biggest stars in the game.

After meeting Irv Gotti at an industry party, Lil' Mo was partnered with Murder Inc. The partnership led to Lil' Mo being featured on a number of Ja Rule's hits. But, within a year, Ashanti was signed and Lil' Mo moved on.

Since this time, Lil' Mo has struggled to release new music and to garner radio play. The faces and names have changed since she dominated. Following her starring role in the Dreamgirls film, Jennifer Hudson rose to fame.

Currently, one of the biggest female R&B stars out, Hudson recently celebrated her 30th birthday. In attendance at the party was Lil' Mo. The songstress sang to Hudson, wishing her a happy birthday.

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Lil' Mo offers support to Missy Elliott

By Mr. Hollywood
JR Staff Writer

Late last month, Missy Elliott came forward to explain her break from the music industry. At one point, Missy Elliott was the biggest female in the game. With the ability to both rap and sing, each of her albums ended up being a major success. But, over time, Missy Elliott faded away with no explanation.

Before the release of her last album, The Cookbook, Missy lost an incredible amount of weight. There was much outrage because of this. Throughout her career, Missy Elliott preached about being proud of the way you look. Now, at the peak of her career, she was losing weight.

However, Missy Elliott revealed her weight loss came with her battle with Graves disease. Lil' Mo, one of the artists Missy helped nearly a decade ago, is offering her support. Knowing what she is going through because of her mother's battles with Graves, Lil' Mo said she would be there for, because she has been instrumental in launching her career.

Nearly a decade ago, it seemed as if Lil' Mo was going to become one of the new key players in the R&B game. Teaming up with Ja Rule, she recorded several hit singles. However, soon Lil' Mo found herself replaced by Ashanti, while Fabolous continued to work with her.

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Ja Rule reunites with Lil' Mo and stars in Indie Film

By Mr. Hollywood
JR Staff Writer

The past six years have not been easy on Ja Rule. Ever since 2004, he has been trying to return to the top of the game. His comeback has taken so long that it is actually longer than his active career. Still determined to break back into the game, Ja Rule has decided to take things back a bit.

On his 2007 album, The Mirror, Ja Rule did everything but call his former duet partner, Ashanti, out by name. Two years later, he reunited with her. Later in the year, Rule also reunited with DMX. It was big for the black community when these former collaborators reunited, but one person was missing.

When Ashanti was signed to Murder Inc., there was no reason for the label to work with Lil' Mo. Despite her friendship with the label, Mo was signed to Elektra Records. Lil' Mo found all of her recordings on the Pain is Love album scrapped in favor of recordings with Ashanti. Following her less-than-friendly reaction, Ja Rule dissed Lil' Mo and she sided with 50 Cent during his downfall.

Older and wiser, Ja Rule has done wonders in rebuilding bridges he burned in the past. Ja Rule has made peace with Busta Rhymes, Eminem, Ashanti, DMX, Dr. Dre, and now Lil' Mo. Rule hopes all of these new friends will eventually help him out. Later this year, Ja Rule hopes to release his eighth studio album, Rule York. Unlike his previous seven releases, this album will be released through his own Mpire label with little imput from Irv Gotti and Murder Inc.

Outside of the music, Ja Rule recently took to the streets of Garfield, New Jersey to star in the independent crime film, Goats. The film is about a man (Ja Rule) who makes a wrong decision that follows him for life. The film was directed by Paul Borghese and will be released early next year.

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