Ja Rule maps road work to back new album

Armed with a new Top 10 album and a pair of hit singles, Ja Rule sets out on a U.S. tour later this month.

The New York rapper's itinerary includes a number of solo dates, as well as a Jan. 16 stop in New Jersey, where he'll appear at a radio festival that will also feature Nas, Ashanti, Fat Joe, Erick Sermon, Sean Paul, Faith Evans, Doug E. Fresh, R. Kelly, Eve and Busta Rhymes. The event is a make-up date for a show originally scheduled for Nov. 14, according to organizers.

Ja Rule's outing also includes a Feb. 7 performance in Atlanta, where he'll share the stage with Eve, the Roots, Jurassic 5, Biz Markie and Doug E. Fresh.

"The Last Temptation," Ja Rule's fourth album, hit stores last November and debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The guest-heavy set spawned the hit singles "Thug Lovin'" (featuring Bobby Brown) and "Mesmerize" (featuring Ashanti).

R&B sensation Ashanti also turns up on the remixed track "The Pledge," which originally appeared on "Irv Gotti Presents: The Inc.," a compilation album featuring tracks from Ja Rule and other Murder Inc. Records artists.

In addition to his flourishing rap career, Ja Rule has also made a name for himself in Hollywood by appearing in film's such as 2001's "The Fast and the Furious" and last year's "Half Past Dead."