This past Saturday, Dec. 6, Murder Inc. rapper Ja Rule made a rare performance in his hometown of Queens at the Resorts World Casino New York City. Rule gave those in attendance a 35-minute set as he performed plenty of his hits from his early catalog. Before and after his show, the MC was taping segments for his upcoming reality show, Follow The Rules, set to drop next year on MTV.

Before Ja Rule hit the stage, XXL caught up with the "Always On Time" rapper to find out a little bit more about his reality show, his upcoming music and his thoughts on A$AP Ferg's new record titled "Ja Rule." —Roger Krastz

XXL: When can we expect your reality show, Follow The Rules, to come out?
Ja Rule: It’s coming in 2015 on MTV. I don’t have my exact air date yet but it’s coming real soon!

What is something new that you think fans will learn about you?
That I’m a clown. [Laughs] Nah, I think throughout my career people generally see me as a serious artist, maybe even sometimes, you know, mean in some aspects. But you know, I’m a good dude. I like to have fun, laugh and joke and clown around a little bit, especially with your family and kids. You know, everybody is a little bit reserved and a little bit open in a different way with their family, so that’s what people are going to see a lot of with my family.

What's something new that you've learned from your family while recording the show?
They clowns too! [Laughs] Nah, it’s just a lot of fun. No arguing. No fighting. You know, we don’t capture too much of that on camera, we try to focus on the good things that are happening in our lives versus the negative things. But we deal with a lot of real issues, you know, from teen marijuana use to whatever we deal with. So I think people are really going to enjoy the show.

You dropped a book earlier this year. Will there be second one in works?
Yeah, I think I'm going to do another book. It will probably be a different format, but it wont be a memoir, it'll be something more educational, [a] self-help type of book.

How do you feel like the hip-hop community has stepped up to the current injustices in the country?
We are the new freedom fighters. I'm very proud of what we are doing out there as far as getting the awareness out there and doing it very peacefully. So I think that’s the important part, getting out there, getting our message across, but doing it in a way where people are going to respect the message and not get it tangled up in some of the less fortunate things that went down. So I think we're doing a great job thus far and as long as we keep pushing forward I think the message will get heard and I think there will be some change.

What are your thoughts on A$AP Ferg and Big Sean's "Ja Rule" record? Can we expect you on the remix?
You never know, man… [Laughs] It’s a hot record. I applaud Ferg for putting that together and Big Sean for it putting it together. You know, it's hip-hop. I was very surprised. I laughed listening to it. I was like, these dudes are crazy. I said, "Ferg you a fool for this one." But you know, it's love and it's good music. It sounds good and it feels good.

What can we expect from you music-wise in 2015?
You know, I'm taking my time. I'm working. I got about maybe three albums done so I'm dropping some stuff in 2015—maybe not a full LP, maybe just some singles. I think I'm going to work some singles through my vehicle with MTV, my television show and then drop an album later in the year.

Related: Ja Rule Remembers Selling Drugs To His Friend’s Parents
Ja Rule Says There Are Unreleased Murder Inc Tracks With Jay Z And DMX
Ja Rule Is Getting A Reality Show On MTV Called ‘Follow The Rules’

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