Ja Rule

Ja Rule

Ja Rule has begun a two year jail sentence today after being found guilty of criminal possession of a weapon. The rapper and actor pleaded guilty to the charge six months ago, leading on from a 2007 incident when traffic police pulled him over to find a loaded semi-automatic handgun hidden in the rear door of his car.

The 35-year-old ‘Always On Time’ rapper, (real name is Jeffrey Atkins) is said to have remained silent during his sentencing at New York State Supreme Court yesterday (June 8th). However, 90 minutes before the sentencing Ja Rule wrote to his 51,000 Twitter followers: "Out on my patio having my last free moment I love all my fans Pain is love!!!"

The rapper is also said to have signed autographs for fans on his way to the courthouse for the sentencing. Despite claims from Atkins’ lawyer than the sentence could be reduced to 18 months with good behaviour, the current sentence is unlikely to be the last of his problems: Atkins is also facing a federal prison time for failing to pay taxes from 2004 to 2008, a crime for which he has already pleaded guilty on three counts.

Despite the incarceration, Ja Rule’s upcoming studio effort ‘Pain is Love 2’ is still scheduled for release later this summer.