Ja Rule - Always On Time ft. Ashanti

What this video is

Released November 27, 2001, as the second single from Ja Rule's third album Pain Is Love on Def Jam/Murder Inc. Records, 'Always On Time' arrived in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 — a moment when escapist, romantically charged pop dominated radio. The song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two consecutive weeks in early 2002, functioning simultaneously as the formal commercial launch of Ashanti's solo career…

Why it matters

Represents the apex of the rap-R&B duet format in the early 2000s, extending the template Ja Rule had established with Jennifer Lopez. The video codified a visual grammar — male rapper as charismatic anti-hero across vignettes, female R&B artist as glamorous but independent presence — that…

The director

David Charles Meyers (born October 19, 1972, Berkeley, CA) studied Film Production and Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University. After working through studio systems at Paramount and Fox, he pivoted to music videos. He has directed more than 200 videos and…