Ja rule and his record label sponser camp

[Darksider]

Activist and Jamaica, Queen's native Ericka Ford is teaming up with The Inc's Ja Rule to form L.I.F.E. (Love Ignites Freedom and Education), a non-profit organization aimed at correcting troubled youth's behavior.

A celebration in Jamaica, Queens will take place to officially launch the organization January 15th. The event will also celebrate the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"The whole concept is that [most of the] kids that improve [will get to] go to Puerto Rico for a 10-day camp that will be sponsored by Ja Rule and the foundation," Ford told AllHipHop.com.

Ford is also chairperson of The Code Foundation, which was launched in 1994 and created by Tupac Shakur and his father, Mutula Shakur.

L.I.F.E. aims to send as many as 150 of the most improved troubled teens to Puerto Rico.

In addition to Ford and Ja Rule, Inc A&R John "BJ" Bryant, and Rule's manager Ron Robinson were key players in building the foundation, which is needed in the Queens area.

"We all come from South Jamaica. It's getting crazy, kids are getting killed out here and we have to do something about it," Ford said.

The event, which takes place January 15, will feature rappers, singers and poets from across New York City, competing for a chance to perform at the Block Party 4 L.I.F.E. concert at the Nassau Coliseum.

The lucky winners will open for Ja Rule, Ashanti, Lil Jon and other yet-to-be confirmed acts at the concert, which will also serve as a fundraiser for L.I.F.E.

In addition to using the proceeds for the camp, Ford hopes to raise enough capital to open a 24-hour L.I.FE. School/Center, located in Jamaica, Queens, by 2005.

The kickoff event will take place at York College Theater in Jamaica, Queens on January 15th at 7pm.

all hip hop