Ja Rule denied entry to the UK days before tour was to start
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NEW YORK — Rapper Ja Rule said he was denied entry to the United Kingdom days before he was set to kick off a tour in Wales on Friday, followed by a show in London the next day.
“I’m so devastated I can’t believe the UK won’t let me in. I’ve spent a half million dollars in production of my own money to put this tour together only to be denied entry DAYS before my shows,” the “Always on Time” performer raged on social media Tuesday. “This is not fair to me or my fans. These venues are 85% sold and now I can’t come.”
“The UK is one of the few European countries that restricts entry to people with criminal records,” he wrote in a follow-up post. “In general, you will likely be denied entry if you have been convicted of a crime punishable by 23 months or more under British law or served more than 12 months in prison.”
The rapper, born Jeffrey Bruce Atkins Sr., was sentenced to a two-year prison term in 2010 following a weapons charge. He was hit with another two-year term in 2011 for tax evasion.
After pledging that he’ll think of some way to make his canceled shows up to his fans overseas, Ja Rule’s outrage continued Wednesday.
“My team made it CLEAR to the promoter that I have a criminal record and can’t get in the country…The PROMOTER swore this wouldn’t be an issue,” he wrote on X. “The PROMOTER started selling tickets y’all love to blame the artist lol… GET YOUR REFUNDS!!”
On the upside, Ja Rule will be home— or anywhere but the U.K. — to celebrate his Feb. 29 birthday, which only comes every four years. The Queens native turned 48 on Thursday.
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