Life may soon imitate art as the Queens bred M.C. pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon, Monday in a New York courtroom.
According to the Associated Press, the rapper, born Jeffrey Atkins, faced as many as 15 years in prison but will serve only two years as part of his plea agreement. The charges stem from an arrest on July 22, 2007 following a performance at the Beacon Theater.
Police said they found a loaded .40-caliber semiautomatic gun in a rear door of Ja Rule’s $250,000 Maybach after it was stopped for speeding.
Ja Rule was one of the most successful hip-hop artists of the 2000s, scoring Billboard Top 20 hits like “Between Me and You,” “Always On Time,” and “Mesmerize,” with each of his first four albums reaching platinum status.
Though he began his career as a hardcore rapper, Ja Rule became known for his R&B styled duets with female singers such as Ashanti and Jennifer Lopez.
His music may have softened, but Ja Rule did not stray far from controversy. He became involved in a very public feud with rival 50 Cent, who mocked Ja Rule’s street credibility in the 2002 song, “Wanksta.”
Ja Rule has had previous contacts with the law. He pleaded guilty to assault for punching a man at a Toronto nightclub in 2004, for which he was fined $1,200.
He becomes the latest addition to a list of rappers who have gotten into trouble over guns. T.I. returned to prison in November after a drug arrest violated the terms of his parole. T.I. served a year of house detention before he spent nine months in jail and three months in a halfway house for 2007 weapons charges.
Lil Wayne, who was arrested separately on the same 2007 night as Ja Rule, was released from Rikers Island in early November after serving nine months on a gun possession charge.
