It’s been a busy month for hip-hop icon and global entrepreneur Ja Rule. The artist recently co-launched ICONN, a content-creator-centric app, and is preparing for a series of live performances, the first of which is the upcoming Pegasus World Cup in Miami on January 29. We sat down with Ja himself as he shared his thoughts on Web 3.0, how he finds positivity and prosperity in his life as an artist and entrepreneur, and what it’s like to get his own NFT.
The Source: You have so much going on! Let’s start with your performances. You have the Pegasus World Cup coming up where you’re joining DJ Cassidy and quite a few other big names, so why not start off telling us about what we can expect with that?
Ja Rule: This is DJ Cassidy’s first live ‘Pass the Mic,’ so it should be a lot of fun. I got my sister Lil’ Kim and my brother Mase with me doing it, so it’s super exciting. It’s [DJ Cassidy’s] first live one and hopefully the first of many, which is really exciting for everyone involved.
The Source: Speaking of big names, you also recently were a major driver behind the launch of the ICONN app. Can you share what’s different about your app from other social media or content creator platforms?
Ja Rule: I wanted to create ICONN for content creators to monetize their content in different ways. So, I feel as an artist and a content creator, that we should be able to monetize the content that we create in many different forms. On ICONN, creators can charge for your live content, sort of like pay per view, you can get tips during your lives, you can do meet and greets. You can also have your fans book you for things like virtual meet and greets on the platform. Now we’re moving into original programming, like my ‘Vibes’ concert series and my ‘Laughing it Up’ comedy showcase. It’s all exclusively on ICONN. We’re working to become more like a media company.
The premise for my Vibes’ concert series is you take an iconic artist and they do their classic album with a live band and tell the stories behind the music. It’s all in a really cool, intimate, setting and has an intimate vibe. ‘Laughing it Up’ is my comedy showcase that I’m bringing to the platform as well. That’ll be more like a Def Comedy Jam-style with new up-and-coming comics as well as iconic comedians.
The Source: You’re an icon yourself, recently getting your own NFT. What else are you up to in the crypto or tech space?
Ja Rule: I’m endorsing things in the NFT, blockchain, Web 3.0 space, crypto, and everything. I’ve got a couple of situations going on. I’m an advisor to a couple of really cool companies like House of First and Knights of Degen. I’m also a partner in a company called FlipKit, in which we do physical NFTs. We have a patent on that technology to authenticate physical art for artists. So there’s a lot of stuff we’re working on. I’ve some land in the Metaverse and creating Rule York City, TCG World, and my iconic Garden Arena in the sandbox. So there’s a lot going on.
The Source: You’ve had success and longevity as both an artist and an entrepreneur. What advice would you give your younger self 20 years ago?
Ja Rule: Invest, invest, invest. Invest that money. I wish I was as heavy into investment then as I am now. I’d be so far ahead of the curve.
The Source: You’re doing pretty well as is! One of our upcoming themes at the Source is positivity and prosperity. How do you find both in your life?
Ja Rule: Family. The music business is very draining and can be very, very crazy at times. It takes a lot out of you, but family has always been my foundation. My wife and my kids have always been a solid foundation for me. They just kind of keep everything sane, you know?
Ja Rule will perform alongside DJ Cassidy, Lil Kim, Mase, and more at the Pegasus World Cup on Saturday, January 29. More information can be found at https://www.pegasusworldcup.com/.
