Editing Ja Rule (section)

==Early life==
Jeffrey Bruce Atkins was born on February 29, 1976, in [[Hollis, Queens|Hollis]], a section of the [[Queens]] borough of [[New York City]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tardio |first=Andres |date=August 9, 2009 |title=Ja Rule: The Road To Redemption |url=http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/interviews/id.1389/title.ja-rule-the-road-to-redemption |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518014727/http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/interviews/id.1389/title.ja-rule-the-road-to-redemption |archive-date=May 18, 2015 |website=HipHop DX}}</ref> Atkins' father left the family when he was very young.<ref name="allmusic"/> Atkins was raised as an only child, as his younger sister, Kristen, died in the womb when Atkins was 5.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Grossman |first=Samantha |date=July 8, 2014 |title=The Tao of Ja: 10 Things We Learned From Reading Ja Rule's New Book |url=https://time.com/2954051/ja-rule-book-interview/ |magazine=Time}}</ref> His mother, Debra, was a healthcare worker, and due to the amount of time she spent working, Atkins was largely raised by his grandparents as a [[Jehovah's Witness]].<ref name="Ebony 140">{{cite magazine|last=Hughes|first=Zondra|date=April 2002|title=Ja Rule: rap star rules hearts & charts – Jeffrey Atkins|magazine=Ebony|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o9kDAAAAMBAJ|page=140}}</ref> Atkins' mother left the Jehovah's Witness religion when he was twelve and was therefore [[Jehovah's Witnesses congregational discipline|shunned]] by her former congregation including her parents, meaning she was no longer allowed to see her son.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/16/showbiz/music/ja-rule-christian/index.html|title=Ja Rule's 'Unruly' path from jail to Christianity – CNN|first=Breeanna |last=Hare|website=CNN|date=July 16, 2014 |access-date=May 31, 2018}}</ref> Atkins and his mother decided they would rather live together even if it meant struggling to pay bills.  Not long after moving in with his mother, Atkins began selling drugs in Hollis.<ref>{{cite web |last=Meara |first=Paul |date=November 30, 2014 |title=Ja Rule Says He Sold Drugs To Friend's Parents During His Childhood |url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.31590/title.ja-rule-says-he-sold-drugs-to-friends-parents-during-his-childhood |website=HipHopDX.com}}</ref>