(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Ja Rule says that it takes an amazing talent to be a recording artist.

The 35-year-old rapper is currently working on his seventh solo album The Renaissance Project which is due for release later this year.

The award-winning artist says that he feels fortunate to be making music that appeals to the masses, and never takes his career for granted.

The beauty of music and being an artist is you get to express your f**king feelings, you get to be you. Its an amazing talent to be able to make music that touches people in different ways, he told Hip Hop Weekly.

Unlike most of Ja Rules previous efforts, The Renaissance Project will not feature big name producers, or high-profile guest vocals.

Instead, the songwriter has chosen to work with a host of new collaborators, in the hope of establishing a different sound. The former Murder Inc MC - who has previously introduced stars Ashanti and Christina Milian into the mainstream by featuring them on his tracks says that people sometimes overlook emerging artists in favour of the more established ones.

Man, Im doing me. Im working with a lot of different producers. Its not the big name dudes that everybody is used to but the quality of music is incredible, he explained. Its not always about that, you know, working with the name dudes or whatever, its all about who got that sound, who got that knock, or that fresh new sound that youre looking for. (C) Cover Media