Ja Rule, of the early 2000s record label Murder Inc., was released from Ray Brook Federal Prison in New York Tuesday, after serving a two-year sentence for illegal weapon possession and tax evasion.
In a possible effort to boost his bad boy street cred, Mr. Rule, whose real name is Jeffrey Atkins, was found with a loaded semi-automatic handgun in his car by police in 2007. He later pleaded guilty to the charge of attempted criminal possession of a weapon.
And in a move that looks starkly similar to Lauryn Hill’s recent downfall, Ja Rule also refused to pay taxes on his more than $3 million in earnings between 2004 and 2006, which earned him a prison sentence of 28 months, though he was able to serve it concurrently with his weapons charge.
TMZ reports that wifey Aisha Atkins picked him up from the airport, no doubt blasting his hit “Mesmerize,” featuring Ashanti. Mrs. Rule then took Ja home where he will be on confinement until June 28th. She wasn’t always there when he called, but at least she was on time.
Somehow, though, he appears that he was still able to tweet from prison, sometimes causing confusion from fans over what kind of release date he is talking about: prison? or a new album?
Let’s just hope that his release means that more good times are on the horizon from Murder, Inc. and the gang.