When N.O.R.E. posted a picture with Ja Rule on Instagram on Thursday, he had no idea it would cause such a stir. Before Mr. Superslime knew it, his photo with the recently freed (and muscular) Ja Rule was all over the Internet.

"We all just took a flick and I didn't realize how many people would actually post it on their website and report as news, because to me it's not really news it's just me going to see a friend and showing support," N.O.R.E. told MTV News on Friday (May 17).

On May 7, Rule was [article id="1706962"]released[/article] from a New York prison after serving almost two years on charges of illegal gun possession and tax evasion. He is now on monitored home confinement until July 28 and his Queens, New York, pal N.O.R.E. traveled from Miami to New Jersey to be one of the first to visit him. "I actually didn't get a chance to visit him [while he was in prison], but I made it my business that when he got home I was gonna get on the first flight and go check him out, " he told us.

N.O.R.E. says that Rule's spirits are high and as evident in the pic he is taking care of himself. When he first emerged in the late 1990s, Rule would often rule around shirtless, showing off his thin, but cut-up frame. His clearly bulked up in prison. "He was on his workout sh-- heavy, that's all he kept talking about," Noreaga told us. "He told me he got a workout plan. And why not? I figure I'd try it as well."

N.O.R.E., who just released his Student of the Game LP, said he is confident that Rule has been working on his rhyme skills as well. "I think he ain't lose a step. I see he's resetting up his Pro Tools [recording software] and his establishment and I think you're gonna hear some bars from him soon," P.A.P.I. said before revealing that he will be remixing one of his Student of the Game tracks with Ja.