Ja Rule's TV Technical Problems

Rapper Ja Rule took two takes to perfect his performance at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors on Wednesday after his duet with Ashanti was ruined by technical difficulties.

The stars joined their peers including Method Man, Mary J. Blige, Eminem and DMX at the event in Brooklyn, New York to pay tribute to iconic label Def Jam Records and mark its 25th anniversary.

But Ja Rule and Ashanti were forced to restart their renditions of hit songs Always On Time and Down 4 You when sound problems wrecked their first performance.

Other live acts included Gym Class Heroes' hook-up with DMX on Party Up, Mary J. Blige and Method Man's rendition of I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By, and The Roots' collaboration with Public Enemy, Rage Against The Machine star Tom Morello and Sweeper Social Club for 1987 anthem Rebel Without a Pause.

The ceremony will air on U.S. TV on October 13th.