Ja Rule says he told promoter criminal record could cause problems for now cancelled UK tour

Ja Rule has claimed that his team made promoter TEG Live Europe aware of his criminal record before he signed up for a tour of the UK. That tour, which was due to kick off in Cardiff tomorrow, was cancelled earlier this week after the rapper was refused entry into the country because of his criminal record. 

"My team made it clear to the promoter that I have a criminal record and can’t get in the country", he said in a post on X yesterday. "The promoter swore this wouldn’t be an issue. The promoter started selling tickets. Y’all love to blame the artist lol... get your refunds!"

The rapper announced earlier this week that his UK tour - which also included shows in London, Birmingham, Nottingham, Leeds and Liverpool - had been cancelled because he had been denied entry into the country by government officials. 

"I’m so devastated", he wrote, "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. This is not fair to me or my fans, these venues are 85% sold and now I can’t come". 

He then provided a bit more detail about why he has been denied permission to tour in the UK. "The UK is one of the few European countries that restricts entry to people with criminal records", he said. "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 twelve months in prison". 

Ja Rule served jail time in the US from 2011 to 2013 after pleading guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon, which followed an incident in 2007 when police said they found a loaded gun in the rapper's car after it was pulled over for speeding. He also ended up serving some extra months in jail after being found guilty of tax evasion. 

In its statement about the cancelled tour, TEG Live Europe blamed "unforeseen circumstances", despite Ja Rule's insistence the circumstances were in fact foreseen. "We regret to inform you that Ja Rule's 'The Sunrise Tour' in the UK and Ireland next month has been cancelled", the promoter added. "Refunds will be issued from your point of purchase. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause". 

The rapper's one scheduled show in Dublin is presumably also cancelled because, without the accompanying UK dates, he can't justify bringing his entire live set-up across the Atlantic. Although, in the official listings, while the UK concerts are now marked as 'cancelled', the Dublin date is currently showing as 'postponed'. 

Maybe Ja Rule could just do a residency in Dublin and TEG could do a deal with Ryanair to fly over all of his disappointed British fans.