Ja Rule Defends Religious Reenactment During BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards Performance
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Ja Rule has explained his reasoning behind being placed on what many believed was a cross during a recent performance, garnering mixed reactions ranging from ridicule to accusations of blasphemy.
The rap legend recently spoke with Page Six about the performance, which took place in September at the BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards. Rule pointed out that the prop he was placed on during the performance was a stake, not a cross, and was inspired by his beliefs as a Jehovah’s Witness.
“I wasn’t on a cross, I was actually on a stake,” the Hollis, Queens native clarified. “Which is what Jehovah’s Witnesses actually believe: Jesus died on a stake versus a cross.” Rule then juxtaposed his own experiences as a recording artist with the “sacrifices” Jesus Christ made during biblical times.
“I feel like I’ve sacrificed a lot for this industry. Not nothing in the realm of Jesus Christ, don’t get me wrong, but it’s symbolism. I see nothing wrong with anybody seeing [themselves] in God, seeing their struggles through Christ. There’s nothing wrong with that, you know what I mean? I think that’s what the Bible is for.”
One figure whose commentary regarding Ja Rule’s BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards performance that garnered attention was 50 Cent, the 47-year-old’s longtime rival, whom Rule deemed a “clown” and a “troll” for his incessant slights and jokes intended to belittle him.
Following footage of Rule’s performance surfacing on social media, Fif reposted a clip of Rule’s religious reenactment on Instagram, blasting his arch nemesis’ as “stupid” for attempting such a display. “Look at this sh*t head, is he supposed to be Jesus?” the G-Unit leader said of Rule in the caption. “WTF you can’t make this sh*t up. LOL so stupid!”
Ja Rule and 50 Cent’s feud with one another has lasted decades, as the two rap legends have nearly 25 years worth of history between them. In 1999, 50 released the single “Life’s on the Line,” a track that sent overt shots at Ja and his Murder Inc. Records label amid a beef that’s said to have began on the streets of Queens and bled over into music.
He would diss Ja and Murder Inc. on numerous occasions throughout the early ’00s, with records such as his Get Rich or Die Tryin’ cut “Back Down” aimed squarely at the hit-maker, his CEO Irv Gotti, and his labelmates. Rule has also returned fire, unleashing the incendiary rebuttal “Loose Change” in 2003 and accusing the rapper of placing an order of protection of him and Irv Gotti the year prior.
In 2023, the bad blood between the two remains alive and strong, as both parties continue to voice their disdain for one another through social media, interviews, and other channels.
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