Also this issue: D.C. Cabaret -Frank Halperin New Year's Flockin' Eve -Helen i-lin Hwang

January 30-February 5, 2003

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Ja Rule

The contribution Ja Rule's made to R&B is not so much his own talents as singer or lyricist, but his penchant for sharing the mic. He has created and perfected the perfect crossover formula, appealing to thug-identified males and Daly-dependent girls alike. In the Ja Rule duet, a sweetly voiced chorus is a performance-enhancing steroid to his Cookie Monster growl, enabling him to shower his praise of the female thigh with new enthusiasm. Rule's appearance with Ashanti at the Eagles playoff game was met -- understandably, given the circumstances -- with ambivalence, but his return to Philly this week should be cause for celebration. After all, we have his ever-expanding catalog of collaborations to thank for the most palatable remixes of J. Lo and the re-emergence of Bobby Brown -- not to mention a lyrical how-to manual for doin' it in luxury cars.

Thu., Jan. 30, 8 p.m., $38.50, with Eve, Electric Factory, Seventh and Willow sts., 215-336-2000.

—Elisa Ludwig