Ja Rule Says J.Lo’s “Ain’t It Funny” Murder Remix Was Really About Diddy
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Past Blast! More than two decades later, Ja Rule is adding a very specific piece of backstory to Jennifer Lopez’s “Ain’t It Funny (Murder Remix)” — and yes, according to Rule, Sean “Diddy” Combs was part of the inspiration.
During an appearance on Earn Your Leisure, Ja said the song grew out of what Lopez was going through after her breakup with Combs. He says he developed the concept and wrote the hook and bridge around that situation before bringing Ashanti in to help finish the record.
And here is where the story gets even more Murder Inc. According to Ja, Ashanti wrote Lopez’s verses without realizing exactly whose relationship she was writing about. She was following the melody, concept and emotional direction already laid out for her — then delivered what Rule remembered as exactly what the song needed.
Ashanti’s Hand in One of J.Lo’s Biggest Remixes
Ashanti’s songwriting contribution is not just a newly surfaced rumor. She is officially credited as one of the songwriters on the remix alongside Jennifer Lopez, Ja Rule, Irv Gotti, Caddillac Tah and others.
The track itself arrived as the follow-up to the massive success of “I’m Real (Murder Remix)”. Despite sharing its title with Lopez’s earlier “Ain’t It Funny,” the Murder Remix is essentially a completely different song, built around a reworking of Craig Mack’s “Flava in Ya Ear” beat.
Released during the 2001–2002 Murder Inc. takeover, “Ain’t It Funny (Murder Remix)” went all the way to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for six weeks. Not bad for a track whose real-life inspiration apparently stayed hidden in plain sight for more than 20 years.
Credit: Earn Your Leisure / social media
Ja also says Combs eventually asked Irv Gotti directly whether the record was about him. The important distinction here: this is Ja Rule’s account of how the song was conceived, not something Lopez or Combs has publicly confirmed in this new interview.
Either way, the revelation adds one more layer to a record that already sits right in the middle of peak J.Lo, Ja Rule, Ashanti and Murder Inc. pop history. Mister Rule came with receipts from memory — and suddenly that breakup anthem hits a little differently.
Watch Ja Rule Tell the Story Behind “Ain’t It Funny”
Hear Ja Rule explain the Diddy connection and Ashanti’s role in writing the remix below.
Sources: Earn Your Leisure, Billboard, 106.7 WTLC.
