Rapper Ja Rule Sentenced to Two Years in Prison

By PopEater / Wire Services Posted Dec 14th 2010 07:24AM

Ja Rule agreed Monday to go to prison for two years in a gun case, becoming the second platinum-selling rapper set to do time after arrests in the aftermath of a star-studded hip-hop concert in July 2007.

The rapper-actor -- whose gravelly voice, thuggish tough talk and duets with R&B divas made him one of rap's stars in the early 2000s -- pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon. Superstar Lil Wayne was arrested separately the same night and later pleaded guilty to the same charge.

Speaking in a low voice, Ja Rule said nothing beyond "guilty" and "yes" to a Manhattan judge's questions as he admitted to a charge that involves attempting to have a loaded gun outside one's home or workplace. Police said they found a loaded .40-caliber semiautomatic gun in a rear door of his $250,000-plus Maybach after it was stopped for speeding.

His plea deal promises the 34-year-old rapper a two-year prison term compared to the 15-year stint he could have faced if convicted of the original gun charges. He remains free until his sentencing.

"This isn't a good day," Ja Rule said as he headed to a waiting SUV, waving to some fans who recognized him behind his dark sunglasses. His lawyer, Stacey Richman, declined to comment.

He's due in court Feb. 9 to set a date for his sentencing.

"Because of your guilty plea here today, you'll have a record of having committed a violent felony. This is a very serious matter," Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Richard Carruthers told him Monday.

Ja Rule is the latest in a series of big-name rappers poised for incarceration, a lineup that has raised questions about the line between art and reality in a genre rife with tales of gang life. Hip-hop stars including Tupac Shakur, Lil' Kim, Foxy Brown, Shyne, Mystikal, Gucci Mane and T.I. have been in jail or prison for periods ranging from months to years. Lil Wayne spent eight months in a New York City jail earlier this year.

He and Ja Rule were stopped, separately, after leaving the Beacon Theatre on July 22, 2007. Lil Wayne had just headlined a show there featuring other rappers including Ja Rule; the two had recently joined forces on a single called 'Uh Oh.'

About an hour after Ja Rule's car was pulled over, Lil Wayne's tour bus was stopped about a mile away. He admitted last year that he had a loaded, semiautomatic .40-caliber gun on the bus.

Lil Wayne, 28, was sentenced in March to a year in jail, gaining early release last month because of time off for good behavior.

Manhattan prosecutors declined to compare the rappers' cases and plea deals. In another recent Manhattan gun case that grabbed headlines, former New York Giants wide receiver and Super Bowl hero Plaxico Burress pleaded guilty last year to the same charge of attempted weapon possession and was sentenced to two years in prison. He had brought a loaded handgun to a nightclub, and the weapon went off and shot him in the leg.

Under state prison policies, Ja Rule might be able to shave up to six months off his sentence by meeting behavior and other requirements.

Ja Rule's road manager and uncle, Dennis Cherry, and the artist's driver, Mohamed Gamal, were arrested with him. Cherry has pleaded not guilty to weapon-possession charges and is due back in court next week. Gamal has since died.

Ja Rule, born Jeffrey Atkins, scored a Grammy Award nomination in 2002 for the best rap album with 'Pain is Love.' He also has appeared in movies, including the 2001 film 'The Fast and the Furious' and 2003's 'Scary Movie 3.'

After emerging as a hardcore rapper in the late 1990s, Ja Rule became known for his collaborations with female R&B singers, including Ashanti. He also garnered notoriety for his public feuds with other rappers, including 50 Cent, who trashed him as a gangsta wannabe in songs and interviews in the early 2000s.

Their tiff echoed on Twitter on Monday, as 50 Cent posted a series of variously mocking and somewhat empathetic comments about Ja Rule's guilty plea.

Ja Rule has had previous brushes with the law, including pleading guilty to assault for punching someone at a Toronto nightclub in 2004. He said he was provoked by a crowd shouting derogatory remarks about his beef with 50 Cent. At the time, a Toronto judge rejected prosecutors' request to ban the rapper from possessing firearms for 10 years. Ja Rule was fined $1,200. Originally from Queens, Ja Rule has lived in Upper Saddle River, N.J., in recent years with his wife and children.

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Tags: Ja Rule

Comments

(10)

Tuesday 14 December

By leroy

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Rappers don`t go to rehab to renew their careers .They go to prison..UH UH UH YEAHHH DOGG WHAT ?? WHAT ?? WHAT ??

By cantuii

Hey its not the first time a Market America person has been brought up before a judge -- Heh.... have a nice ride.. Ja Rule

By Marie

I felt bad for Ja Rule from the beginning knowing that the NE which is filled with progressives and liberals and the most antigun people in our country. All politicians are allowed to conceal carry for protection and if you notice that most politicians who don't pay their taxes get a slap on the hand.

By nklfrank

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

wonder why this doesn't surprise me.....enjoy your stay.........A-hole.

By sandip

He hasn't been doing anything and has the time. I took 3 kids to see his show. He was 2 hours late and had 20 people on stage standing in the background smoking weed. I used to like him he could perform at the end of my driveway and I would not go out to watch.

By ac77inc

As much as I like Ja Rule, you just can't take the ghetto out of some people. No matter how much money they make, no matter how famous.

By Joe Schmo

Ja Rule, like many recent rappers, has almost no talent. He's probably already been to prison a few times, so this should be like returning home for him. Most of these guys just rip off the songs of others for their livelihoods...so no great loss seeing him go to prison. He's not such a big guy...so he'll probably have to learn to bend over more.

By likeshayes

It sounds fishy to me that both rappers, lil wayne and ja rule both were performing at the same show, and they both just so happen to get pulled over by police officers in separate vehicles. This just goes to show you that the PO PO (police) are following and surveliencing these hip hop artist. They pull them over for "speeding" knowing that they are rappers that they will most likely find drugs and weapons. I believe the same thing happened to T.I in LA when he was in town promoting his movie, he got pulled over for "making an illegal U-turn". Now he is back in jail for probation violation. I am not saying that these rappers are right in their actions, I am just saying that racial profiling is real. I wonder do rock stars get pulled over for "minor traffic " violations, because we all know that rockers have illegal narcotics on them as well. I'm just saying.

Friday 17 December

By GUNNER36

ANOTHER RAPPER TO THE CRAPPER..JUST CAN'T HANDLE SUCSESS...THEY RAP AND WHINE ABOUT HOW BAD THEY HAD IT. BUT THE SAME OLD GHETTO THINKING ALWAYS APPEARS.THEY JUST BUY NEWER MORE POWERFUL GUNS,USE MORE DRUGS,BEAT UP AND RAPE MORE ATTRACTIVE WOMEN & MAKE MORE BABIES. WHAT A SHAME

Saturday 02 July

By Rhea

How hard is it to hire a security person to be with you at all times that can legally carry a gun... if you can afford a 250,000 vehicle... you probably can afford a gun-carrying security person legally... just saying!

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