What Is Ja Rule's Net Worth?
Ja Rule is an American rapper, singer, and actor who has a net worth of $4 million. Ja Rule was one of the most popular rappers in the world in the late 1990s. He had several songs on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart, including "Between Me and You," "I'm Real," and "Always on Time." In later years, Ja Rule earned a level of infamy due to his association with the disastrous Fyre Festival fraud, which resulted in his business partner Billy McFarland being sent to prison.
Fyre Festival
Ja Rule co-organized a music event called "Fyre Festival" that was set to take place in late April 2017 on a private island in the Bahamas. The event turned out to be a huge disaster. Attendees, some of whom paid thousands of dollars for their tickets, were left stranded on a garbage-strewn gravel lot with little food and only FEMA disaster tents for the accommodations. Most of the scheduled performers, upon learning about the conditions at the festival, had already backed out by the time attendees got to the island. On May 1st, 2017, a festival attendee filed a $100 million class-action lawsuit against Ja Rule and his festival co-founder Billy McFarland. In 2019, Ja Rule was cleared of any wrongdoing in the incident.
"Fast & Furious" Lost Payday
Ja Rule had a memorable cameo in the 2001 film "The Fast and the Furious." He earned $15,000 to play the smack-talking LA street racer "Edwin." For the planned sequel, which became 2003's "2 Fast 2 Furious," director John Singleton wanted to bring Ja back to be one of the film's main stars. Singleton was set to offer Ja $500,000 to reprise the role. Unfortunately, as Singleton would later explain, Ja Rule blew him off. Wouldn't return his calls. Singleton went so far as to track Ja down at a recording studio to discuss the role but was rebuffed again. So… John called Ludacris. Ludacris's role of "Tej Parker" went on to become a fan favorite, and he has portrayed the character in SEVEN installments of the franchise. Ludacris has earned $20-30 million from the role… so far! Today Ludacris earns $5-8 million every time he appears in one of the films.
(Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for MTV)
Early Life
Ja Rule was born Jeffrey Bruce Atkins on February 29, 1976, in Queens, New York. He was raised in the neighborhood of Hollis by Debra and William Atkins. Ja Rule's grandparents were Jehovah's Witnesses, and due to his parents working a lot, he spent a lot of time with his grandparents and started practicing the religion as well. He left the religion at age 12 and began selling drugs in Hollis. He got into a lot of fights in school due to his small size. Ja Rule did not graduate but earned his GED in 2012.
Early Career
His career started in 1994 as a member of the group Cash Money Click. He changed his stage name to "Ja Rule" shortly after. The group produced a number of songs independently, including their debut single, "Get Tha Fortune," in 1994. They were signed with TVT Records but were dropped from their label, and they disbanded after just one year due to the arrest and imprisonment of group member Chris Black.
Success
Ja Rule's first solo appearance came on the song "Time to Build" by Mic Geronimo, which also featured Jay-Z and DMX. Rule signed with Def Jam in 1998 and was featured on the Jay-Z single "Can I Get A…" later that year. His debut album, "Venni Vetti Vecci," was released in 1999 and eventually hit #1 on the "Billboard" 200 chart. His second and third albums were both certified 3x Platinum and hit #1 on the "Billboard" 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop charts. His fourth album was released on November 19, 2002, debuted at #4 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, and spawned two hit singles. His fifth and sixth albums were released in 2003 and 2004. After a sixth studio album and a greatest hits album, Ja Rule departed his contract with Def Jam in 2005 and took a hiatus until February 2011, when he announced he had started working on a new album, "Pain is Love 2." It was released one year later, and by that time, he was serving a two-year prison sentence for tax evasion and gun possession. He was released in May 2013.
After his release from prison, Ja Rule and Gotti launched Murder Inc Records. He also released a memoir in 2014 titled "Unruly: The Highs and Lows of Becoming a Man." He announced his eighth studio album shortly after, but it was pushed back indefinitely.
Ja Rule appeared on "The Hamilton Mixtape" in December 2016, rapping Alexander Hamilton's verse in "Helpless," which was performed by Ashanti. Ashanti confirmed in June 2018 that she and Ja Rule were collaborating on a new album.
Ja Rule's biggest singles include "Holla Holla," "Between Me and You," "I'm Real (Murder Remix)," "Ain't It Funny," "Always on Time," "Mesmerize," and "Wonderful." He has worked with Jennifer Lopez, Christina Milian, Ashanti, and R. Kelly. He is also an established actor and appeared in the movies "The Fast and the Furious" and "Scary Movie 3" and co-starred alongside Queen Latifah in 2004's "The Cookout."
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Business Ventures
Ja Rule started his own clothing line in 2004 called ErvinGeoffrey. In 2006, he launched a liquor company, The Mojito.
In 2021, Ja Rule partnered with a team of software engineers to launch Flipkick, a platform to sell physical works of art as non-fungible tokens. He reportedly auctioned off a portrait of the Fyre Media logo for $122,000 on the platform.
Personal Life
Ja Rule is married to Aisha Murray. The couple has three children, Britney (b. 1995), Jeffrey (b. 2000), and Jordan (b. 2005).
In February 2021, Ja Rule completed an online course at Harvard Business School and shared the certificate of completion on Twitter.
Accolades
Ja Rule has been nominated for four Grammys and has won three Source Awards, one MTV Video Music Award, one World Music Award, one BET Award, one "GQ" Men of the Year Award, one Teen Choice Award, and an NAACP Image Award.
Legal Problems
After punching a man in Toronto in 2003, Rule settled a lawsuit out of court. He was arrested in 2004 for possession of marijuana and driving with a suspended license. In 2007 he was arrested on gun and drug possession charges. He ended up serving nearly two years in federal prison on gun and tax evasion charges. He reportedly failed to pay taxes on $3 million worth of income that was earned between 2004 and 2006.
Feuds
Ja Rule has been involved in feuds with 50 Cent and G-Unit Records, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Shady Records, Aftermath, Foxy Brown, and Lil' Mo. The most publicized feud was with 50 Cent in 1999, after filming a video shoot in Queens because 50 Cent reportedly did not like Ja Rule "getting so much love" from the community in Hollis. The two confronted each other in Atlanta, and Ja Rule claims he struck 50 Cent with a baseball bat. Another confrontation occurred in New York City where rapper Black Child, one of Ja Rule's artists on Murder Inc, stabbed 50 Cent and caused him to need stitches. In May 2011, it was confirmed by both rappers that they had ended their feud.
