Ja Rule

Ja Rule Disciplined For Unauthorized Birthday Phone Interview

06 Mar 2012 16:23:47 EST

The incarcerated rapper held an interview with a Sirius XM's Ear Candy Mornings show on February 29.
By Rob Markman

Ja Rule fans may have enjoyed last week's radio interview from behind bars on Sirius XM, but the Department of Corrections did not. Last week, on his birthday (February 29) Ja called into Renada Romain's Ear Candy Morningsshow on Hip Hop Nation and spoke on his current incarceration, his Pray For the Day charity and his new Pain is Love 2, but on Tuesday (March 6), the multiplatinum rap star faced a disciplinary hearing over the phone interview.

A representative from New York State's Department of Corrections and Community Supervision told MTV News that Rule, who is serving a two-year sentence at Mid-State Correctional Facility for tax evasion and gun possession, had a disciplinary hearing Tuesday and it was determined that the rapper made an unauthorized phone call. His punishment: a seven-day work detail.

Rule's publicist Melanie Bonvicino maintains that Rule has been a model prisoner. He has recently obtained his GED and started taking college courses two weeks ago. Bonvicino believes that it was another interview with the New York Daily News, in which Ja dished on his relationship with former New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi and former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski, that angered prison officials at Mid-State.

"That sort of created this issue with the powers that be at the facility because after that, they refused all interviews for him," she told MTV News.

Bonvicino was concerned whether the infraction would have any bearing on the "Put It on Me" rapper's expected February 2013 release date; as of now, that doesn't appear to be the case. Still, team Rule insists that they aren't making any changes to how they handle Ja and the media. "There will be no changes at this time, we had a record coming out, and Ja Rule obviously is really all about his fans and as such it was his birthday and we had a record to promote, so this is his usual here," she said.

Was Ja Rule's punishment fair? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!

Related Videos

'RapFix Live' With Ja Rule

Related Artists

Ja Rule

Irv Gotti Says He's 'Best Man' For Def Jam Presidency

05 Oct 2011 23:24:49 EDT

'If you let Def Jam die, you're gonna let a bit of the culture die,' he tells 'RapFix Live,' fearing label's lack of leadership could lead to its demise.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway

When you think of the great Def Jam executives, Russell Simmons, Rick Rubin, Lyor Cohen and Kevin Liles all come to mind. But don't forget to credit Irv Gotti with helping rebuild the legendary hip-hop label in the mid-1990s.

After producing for Jay-Z's independent debut, Reasonable Doubt, Gotti helped set up the now-infamous deal between Hov's Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam. DMX, in all his multiplatinum glory, came next, and Ja Rule followed, all brought to Def Jam by Gotti. Now, the Murder Inc. founder wants to head the seminal rap record company.

"I wanted to speak on this because I love the hip-hop culture with a deep, deep passion," Irv Gotti said when he visited "RapFix Live" on Wednesday (October 5). "Def Jam is the light of that culture; Def Jam personifies the hip-hop culture. There is no other hip-hop label like Def Jam."

Irv acknowledged the contributions of late label executive Shakir Stewart but criticized former Def Jam Chairman and CEO L.A. Reid and said there hasn't been a proper president at the company since Jay-Z left at the top of 2008. Gotti, like Violator's Chris Lighty, has always had his name come up whenever rumors of who will take the label's reins surface.

"If you don't want to hire me — the best man for the job, the man who will die for it — cool, I understand. You think I'm Suge Knight, you think the feds may come in here again if you hire me, cool," the music producer said referring to the money-laundering charges he beat in 2005. "Put somebody in there, because you not giving any sign or any indication that you care about my culture."

Gotti said the company that serves as a home to Rick Ross, Young Jeezy and Fabolous has a talented roster but needs leadership. Irv recalled the time when Cohen went to DMX's Yonkers, New York, neighborhood to sign the rough-around-the-edges hitmaker. He also told host Sway a story about how Lyor once played basketball against the LOX at the famed Rucker Park.

He's also worried that if someone isn't brought in soon, the label will eventually crumble. "This is helping our lives. This is a culture that is deep for us. You can't let it die, and if you let Def Jam die, you're gonna let a bit of the culture die," Gotti pleaded passionately. "And the fact that you ain't got no one up there leading the army and ain't had nobody — you just let the artists come up there, give you a record and you put it out. That's not what Def Jam is about."

Do you think Irv should lead Def Jam? Let us know in the comments!

Related Videos

'RapFix Live' With Method Man And Irv Gotti

Related Artists

Ja Rule Sentenced To 28 Months For Tax Troubles

18 Jul 2011 18:57:34 EDT

Incarcerated rapper gets added time for failing to file with the IRS.
By Rob Markman

As if getting hit with a two-year jail bid wasn't enough, rapper Ja Rule just got some more time tacked onto his current sentence. On Monday (July 18), Rule (born Jeffrey Atkins) was sentenced to 28 months in prison to run concurrent with his existing sentence for failing to file tax returns with the IRS for more than $1.1 million in taxes.

Rule's attorney, Stacey Richman, told MTV News she is grateful the court didn't judge the rapper on his public persona. "We were all very concerned about what the potentials were, and we think that the outcome was very fair and that the court took him into account as an individual, and we appreciate that tremendously," she said.

In December 2010, Rule pleaded guilty to attempted gun possession stemming from a 2007 arrest. The 35-year old MC turned himself in June 8 to begin the bid, and got hit with the additional time Monday in a New Jersey federal court. The sentence was the result of Ja's March admission of his failure to file for money earned from 2004 to 2006.

The former Murder Inc. rapper commented on his tax troubles when he appeared on MTV's "RapFix Live" in April. "Let me just clear this up for people who think that Ja Rule doesn't pay taxes: bullsh--," the rapper told MTV News' Sway Calloway. "Ja Rule pays plenty of taxes, millions of dollars in taxes. I owed them a little bit more. I had some issues when the whole Murder Inc. thing went down with my accountant, and she had some federal issues with the boys herself for doing some things, so I fell into a few issues there, but it's not an issue like that. That's being taken care of."

When handing down the sentence, U.S. Judge Patty Shwartz said, "Taxpayers do not have the luxury of deciding whether to comply with the laws."

What the added time means for Rule is that, in theory, he will serve a full 28 months regardless whether his current New York state sentence ends early. If the rapper ends up serving the entire 24 months of his current incarceration, he will owe the government the extra four months. However, "good behavior" creates the possibility of a shorter federal sentence.

Related Videos

'RapFix Live' With Ja Rule

Related Artists

Ja Rule

Ja Rule's Prison Sentence: What Led Up To It?

08 Jun 2011 17:59:59 EDT

Queens MC also announces he'll delay release of Pain is Love 2, which he'd hoped to drop before his two-year bid.
By Alvin Blanco

On Wednesday (June 8), Ja Rule turned himself in to begin serving a two-year sentence on a gun charge stemming from his 2007 arrest in New York City. Although some rappers have endured a sentence as a mere bump in their careers (Lil Wayne, for instance), Ja Rule's bid arrives almost seven years since his last official album, R.U.L.E., and just as his Pain Is Love 2 has been delayed.

Ja had initially planned to deliver PIL2 the day before starting his jail term, but according to his longtime collaborator 7 Aurelius, Rule postponed the release after deciding it hadn't been completed to his satisfaction.

"Me and Rule have to capture all the magic around us until he goes in, otherwise we are doing an injustice to his fans," 7 told MurderInc-Online.com. "For example, if we had stopped in April just to be able to turn it in to [Fontana/Universal] for a June 7 date, PIL2 would not be what it is now. They have acknowledged that because it's Ja Rule, they will give it a fast track release date once it is turned in and that would be digital and hard copy."

PIL2 is the sequel to Ja Rule's triple-platinum third album, Pain Is Love. The Grammy-nominated LP was crucial in transforming Ja Rule from hip-hop star to mainstream sensation, thanks to hit singles like 'Livin' It Up" and "Always On Time," featuring Ashanti. But Pain Is Love was released almost 10 years ago. Since then, Rule's turmoil, whether legal issues or a long-running feud with nemesis 50 Cent, has overshadowed his music. And because of that, it can be easy to forget that at one point, Ja was easily rap's #1 hit-maker. Here, we look back on the 'Clap Back" MCs journey since that fateful night when he got caught with a gun in his ride.

July 22, 2007: Ja Rule is arrested on a Sunday evening in N.Y.C. — coincidentally, so is Lil Wayne in a separate incident after the same show at the Beacon Theatre. Ja had joined Wayne onstage that night as a special guest but after being pulled over for speeding, police discovered a .40 caliber pistol in Rule's Maybach. The rapper was arraigned and released the next day on $150,000 bond.

September 23, 2009: Ja Rule and DMX see each other at VH1's "Hip Hop Honors" and embrace, squashing their beef. Years before, X had accused Ja of imitating his style in song and the latter responded in kind. No hard feelings.

September 2010: Ja Rule reveals in an XXL magazine/ MTV "Sucker Free" video interview that he has changed the name of his new album from Venni Vetti Vecci 2010 to The Renaissance Project. Ja plans to release the album before the start of his prison sentence.

December 13, 2010: Ja Rule reaches a plea deal with prosecutors in N.Y.C. that will have him serve two years for criminal possession of a weapon. The guilty plea stems from the July 2007 incident. Ja Rule is expected to be sentenced in February 2011.

January 3, 2011: Ja announces via Twitter that The Renaissance Project will be released before he checks into prison.

February 9, 2011: Due to an error in his presenting report, Ja Rule's sentencing gets pushed back, this time until March 9, when he will learn when he must surrender to authorities and begin serving his two-year sentence. That morning, Ja tweets that besides working on Renaissance, he is also working on Pain Is Love 2 with producer 7 Aurelius.

March 9, 2011: Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Richard Carruthers extends Ja Rule's furlough until June 8, when he is scheduled to report to prison. The extra time is given so the rapper can settle a federal tax issue and also allows him to finish a new album.

March 22, 2011: Ja Rule pleads guilty to tax evasion for failing to pay taxes on more than $3 million in income in New Jersey. As part of a plea deal, Ja must pay more than $1 million in back taxes and fines, and the government dismissed two charges against him for failure to pay taxes on income in 2007 and 2008. His sentencing for the tax evasion is scheduled for June 13.

April 23, 2011: During the New York City stop of Diddy-Dirty Money's Coming Home Tour, opening act Lloyd brings out Ja Rule and Ashanti as surprise special guests. The former Murder Inc. running mates perform Ja's hit "Always On Time," before the MC debuts a new song called "Real Life Fantasy."

April 27, 2011: Ja Rule stops by "RapFix Live" and in a revealing interview with Sway, he gives insight into the trials and tribulations of his career and how he plans to make the best of his pending incarceration.

June 8, 2011: Ja Rule begins serving his sentence for attempted criminal possession of a weapon at an upstate New York correctional facility.

Send your best wishes to Ja Rule in the comments below.

Related Videos

'RapFix Live' With Ja Rule

Related Artists

Ja Rule

Ja Rule Turns Himself In As Tearful Family Looks On

08 Jun 2011 16:17:36 EDT

Rule accompanied by relatives in Manhattan courtroom before being led away to start two-year sentence.
By Gil Kaufman, with reporting by Rahman Dukes

Ja Rule appeared in a Manhattan courtroom on Wednesday (June 8) afternoon and turned himself in to begin his two-year prison sentence on weapons possession charges.

Wearing a gray sweat suit, sunglasses and a somber look on his face, the 35-year-old MC (born Jeffrey Atkins) stood before a magistrate on the 13th floor of the criminal courts building in lower Manhattan and listened as he was formally sentenced to two years in prison in the wake of his guilty plea in December to attempted criminal possession of a weapon. He was accompanied by his wife, associate Ron Robinson, lawyer Stacey Richman and various other family members as the sentence was read.

Moments after he was cuffed and led out of the courtroom, Rule shouted, "See y'all" to his family in the back of the courtroom. "We love you," they called back, as some burst into tears and Rule replied, "I love y'all too," before being escorted to detention.

Rule will spend up to two weeks at New York's Rikers Island jail before being transferred to a different correctional facility upstate. Rule's lawyer said she expected that with good behavior, the MC could be out in 18 to 20 months. The rapper is being jailed in connection with an arrest in July 2007 in which the Manhattan district attorney's office claimed police found a loaded semi-automatic .40-caliber Taurus handgun, with the serial number scratched off, hidden in the backseat of the MC's Maybach.

The arrest took place on the same night that Lil Wayne was arrested on a gun charge, which sent the "Lollipop" rapper to jail for eight months last year. (Rule had been among the featured special guests at a New York concert headlined by Wayne.)

Last month, Ja Rule sat with Sway on "RapFix Live" and expressed regret over his pending jail sentence. According to Rule, he feels as if he has let his wife and kids down.

"I'm disappointed," the multiplatinum rapper said. "I'm mad at myself." Rule spoke specifically about his 15-year-old daughter, Brittany, but expressed concern about his two sons as well. "My daughter, she's 15 right now," Rule explained. "These are her last couple of years. She's about to graduate from high school and she's going to college. She needs her father. My boys really need me right now, too, as well as my wife. They need Daddy, and Daddy f---ed up."

Related Artists

Ja Rule

Ja Rule To Begin Prison Term Today

08 Jun 2011 09:10:37 EDT

Rapper will turn himself for two-year sentence after pleading guilty to 2007 gun charge.
By Gil Kaufman

Ja Rule is slated to turn himself in to begin a two-year prison sentence on gun charges on Wednesday morning (June 8). The rapper (born Jeffrey Atkins) pleaded guilty in December to attempted criminal possession of a weapon in connection with a July 2007 arrest in which the Manhattan District Attorney's office claimed police found a loaded semi-automatic .40-caliber Taurus handgun, with the serial number scratched off, hidden in the backseat of the MC's Maybach.

Ja Rule's arrest took place on the same night that Lil Wayne was arrested on a gun charge, which sent the "Lollipop" rapper to jail for eight months last year. The two rappers had performed together that night in Wayne's first major show in New York.

Rule is expected to turn himself in on Wednesday morning, when he will be assigned to an Upstate New York correctional facility to serve his time. Last month, he sat down with MTV News and expressed regret over his pending jail sentence and feelings that he let his wife and children down.

"I'm disappointed," the multiplatinum rapper told Sway during "Rapfix Live." "I'm mad at myself."

Rule, 35, spoke specifically about disappointing his 15-year-old daughter, Brittany, but expressed concern about his two sons as well. "My daughter, she's 15 right now," Ja explained. "These are her last couple of years. She's about to graduate from high school, and she's going to college. She needs her father. My boys really need me right now too, as well as my wife. They need Daddy, and Daddy f---ed up."

Ja also pleaded guilty in March to failing to pay more than $3 million in taxes in New Jersey and faces up to three years in prison in that case.

He hoped his arrest and prison stint would convince young fans to leave guns alone. While Ja Rule's first new album in six years, Pain Is Love 2, was reportedly due for release this week, that effort now appears to be on hold and until later this summer.

Related Videos

'RapFix Live' With Ja Rule

Related Artists

Ja Rule

Ja Rule Promises To End Twitter War With 50 Cent

28 Apr 2011 17:03:23 EDT

'It's not important to me anymore,' Rule tells Sway on 'RapFix Live.'
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway

When it comes to hip-hop beefs, the one between Queens rappers Ja Rule and 50 Cent will go down as one of the biggest and most violent.

Though the feud has been mostly dormant for some years, 50 and Ja have gone tit for tat over Twitter, volleying barbs back and forth. Most recently, on March 23, 50 ridiculed Ja after news broke that Rule pleaded guilty to tax evasion. "I wouldn't expect anything different from a ho ass n---a like @50cent," Ja tweeted back.

On Wednesday's "RapFix Live," the former Murder Inc. MC told Sway he will no longer indulge in Twitter beef with the G-Unit General.

"Sway, I promise you, he can get on Twitter right now and say, 'Ja you bitch ass n---a,' and I'm gonna say, 'Good for you, young man. I wish you well,' " Ja said.

In addition to swearing off online disses, the "Put It on Me" rapper said while he doesn't regret being involved in a beef with 50, if he had the chance, he wouldn't have involved others like Game, Dr. Dre, Eminem and Lloyd Banks in his war. "I think a lot of people got wrapped up in my and 50's whole nonsense," Rule said. "For that, I would've done that differently, maybe. My beef was with one dude; I'mma keep it with that dude. I'm not gonna drag in this person and that person."

Overall, Ja said he's over the beef: "Those old feelings are gonna bring back more old emotions and more old feelings. "It's not important to me anymore."

Do you think Ja and 50 will go at it again? Let us know in the comments.

Related Videos

'RapFix Live' With Ja Rule

Related Artists

Ja Rule Talks About How Prison Bid Will Affect His Family

27 Apr 2011 22:36:42 EDT

'I'm mad at myself,' multiplatinum rapper says during MTV News' 'RapFix Live.'
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway

Ja Rule is set to turn himself in for a two-year prison bid in June but still found the time to visit MTV News' "Rap Fix Live." Rule, who pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon after a 2007 gun bust in NYC, sat with Sway and expressed regret, feeling like he let his wife and kids down.

"I'm disappointed," the multiplatinum rapper said. "I'm mad at myself."

Rule spoke specifically on his 15-year-old daughter Brittany, but expressed concern about his two sons as well. "My daughter, she's 15 right now," Rule explained. "These are her last couple of years. She's about to graduate from high school, and she's going to college. She needs her father. My boys really need me right now too, as well as my wife. They need Daddy, and Daddy f---ed up."

Still, despite his upcoming jail stint, Ja was remarkably upbeat and looked for the positive in the situation, hoping youngsters will use him as an example and leave guns alone. "This is something that's bad, but there's gotta be some good that comes out of it," he said. "Even if there are other kids that look at me and say, 'Let me put my burner down.' Even if it's that, then there is something learned from my mistakes."

His upcoming jail stay will mark the first that the former Murder Inc. star has been incarcerated, but he has already received advice from an old friend and reputed drug lord Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, who is currently serving life behind bars." I spoke to Preme two weeks ago," Ja said. "He let me know about my bid goin' in; how to bid. I never bidded, so you gotta know how to bid."

Rule — who also plans to release his new album Pain Is Love 2 on June 7, the day before he is scheduled to start his two-year prison term — hopes he can be out in as little as 16 months with good behavior.

Related Videos

'RapFix Live' With Ja Rule

Related Artists

Ja Rule

Ja Rule Previews Tracks From Pain Is Love Sequel

26 Apr 2011 16:15:48 EDT

Ex-Inc. MC will discuss his two new albums when he visits 'RapFix Live' on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
By Alvin Blanco

Ja Rule wants to make sure that although he may be out of sight come June, he won't be out of mind.

The Queens rapper is set to begin a two-year prison sentence for gun possession but the former Murder Inc. artist and this Wednesday's "RapFix Live" guest plans on dropping two albums — P.ain I.s L.ove 2 and The Renaissance Project — that he hopes will keep his music on the airwaves until he finishes his bid.

Ja recently invited MTV News to preview a handful of tracks from P.ain I.s L.ove 2, a sequel to the triple-platinum Pain Is Love. An upbeat Ja Rule and his longtime producer/collaborator 7 Aurelius excitedly played the tracks for us at Sean "Diddy" Combs' Daddy's House Studios. Lucky fans got a little taste of what he's been up to when opening act Lloyd brought out Ja Rule at the New York City stop of Diddy's Coming Home Tour last Friday.

While Ja performed a medley of his past hits (along with Ashanti), he also performed the Queen-sampling "Real Life Fantasy" from P.ain I.s L.ove 2, one of the tracks RapFix got to preview in full.

Another standout track Rule played for us was "To the Top," which features Diddy-Dirty Money's Kalenna Harper on vocals. The song features solid drums and sounds huge, a reflection of Ja's desire to create stadium-worthy records. Another joint, called "Wake Me," has a mean wah-wah guitar over swelling percussion as Ja takes his critics and naysayers to task. A more lighthearted record is "College Girl," which features a pots-and-pans-like groove over thunderous drums as Ja goes on a lyrical campus crawl.

Ja held off on revealing any of the P.ain I.s L.ove 2 features (he plans to keep them minimal, if any), but he did speak on his plans for The Renaissance Project. Fans will purchase what Ja called a "living album" in the form of an app that comes with an initial set of songs; after a designated period more songs will be added to it. If all goes according to the rapper's plan, purchasers of the app will continue to receive music, photos, video, etc. — even while he's serving his bid. "An application album is right where we need to be," Ja told us. "You can never get that [just] buying an album, you get all this content."

The two albums are set to drop on June 7, a day before the "Always on Time" rapper is scheduled to start his prison term. According to Ja Rule, the albums will be released on his Empire imprint via Universal Motown Records.

Tune in Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET to watch Ja Rule on "RapFix Live."

Related Artists

Ja Rule

Ja Rule Will Visit 'RapFix Live' On Wednesday

25 Apr 2011 18:26:11 EDT

Pain Is Love 2 rapper will take questions from fans during interview.
By Rob Markman

It's Murder! Ja Rule is mounting a comeback in the form of his new album, Pain Is Love 2, and will be joining MTV News' Sway Calloway for an in-depth interview on "RapFix Live" Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.

In the early aughts, Queens rapper Ja Rule was a hip-hop juggernaut. As the face of Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records, Ja combined melody with hard rap bars to create fan favorites such as "Put It On Me," "Always On Time" and "Holla, Holla," selling millions of records along the way. His beef with rapper 50 Cent, as well as the federal money-laundering case against Murder Inc. proved to be too much for the multi-platinum rap star to overcome, and eventually Rule faded away from the spotlight.

In 2007, things went from bad to worse when Ja was hit with charges stemming from a gun bust outside New York's Beacon Theater after a show he co-billed with Lil Wayne. In December, he pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon; he was sentenced to 16 months in February and will begin his prison bid in June.

Before he turns himself in, Ja will release Pain Is Love 2. Last week, he debuted its first single, "Real Life Fantasy," which he performed in New York as a surprise guest on Diddy-Dirty Money's Coming Home Tour.

Tune in Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET to watch Ja Rule on "RapFix Live."

Related Artists