Last Updated: December 18, 2023
Info
Category:
Richest CelebritiesRappers
Net Worth:
$4 Million
Birthdate:
Feb 29, 1976 (48 years old)
Birthplace:
Queens
Gender:
Male
Height:
5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Profession:
Actor, Musician, Singer, Songwriter, Rapper
Nationality:
United States of America
💰 Compare Ja Rule's Net Worth

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 musical performances, 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 off 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 in Queens, New York, on February 29, 1976. 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 also. 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…". 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 No. 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 eight studio album shortly after, but it was pushed back indefinitely.

Ja Rule appeared on The Hamilton Mixtape in December 2016, where he rapped Hamilton's verse in Ashanit's song Helpless. Ashanti confirmed in June 2018 that she and Ja Rule are 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 movies The Fast and the Furious, Scary Movie 3, and co-starred alongside Queen Latifah in 2004's The Cookout.

Ja Rule Net Worth

(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.

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 with 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.

All net worths are calculated using data drawn from public sources. When provided, we also incorporate private tips and feedback received from the celebrities or their representatives. While we work diligently to ensure that our numbers are as accurate as possible, unless otherwise indicated they are only estimates. We welcome all corrections and feedback using the button below.
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