Ja Rule...Steps Back!!!

Rapper Ja Rule credits the hip-hop community's continual feuds with encouraging him to step out of the spotlight and spend more time in the studio.

The star - real name Jeffrey Atkins - decided to take a long time recording new disc Mirror to distance himself from the petty disagreements that occupy the headlines.

He tells RollingStone.com, "The whole industry is so focused on beefin' with each other - it's like the WWF of rap right now. "I'm stepping out of the arena. I don't want to be a wrestlin' rapper."