How Ja Rule Blew His Career With The Fast And Furious Franchise

Let’s face facts: Ja Rule is not short of money. Despite this, there is always room for more and the belief persists that Ja Rule could have built an even larger fortune were it not for his own, wayward judgement. We are of course referring to the rapper’s decision not to appear in Fast and Furious 7, which was revealed recently in an interview with the franchise director John Singleton.

There is a history to this story too, and while it appears as though the incident is part of ancient history it remains an interesting talking point for movie fans around the world. One this is for sure, Ja Rule’s decision cost him an initial $500,000 and potentially more in future deals.

Ja Rule appeared in the franchise’s first instalment, accepting $15,000 for the supporting role of Edwin in the stunt-laden original. His success was obvious if understated, and this inspired Singleton to invite him to appeal in the highly anticipated sequel. Despite offering $500,000 for the role, however, Ja Rule turned down the opportunity citing a desire to explore more serious material. More specifically, he wanted to act across a range of meaningful and stellar roles, and feared that additional appearances in the Fast and Furious franchise would ultimately see him being typecast.

His own reputation as the leader of hip-hop group Murder Inc. was also a factor, as the combination of this with a recurring role in Fast and Furious sequels would surely create an impression that would be hard to dislodge. Murder Inc. was also enjoying pronounced success at the time, generating multiple hit singles and significant cash in the process. These individual elements encouraged Ja Rule to turn down the role, although there was certainly some controversy caused by his manner and the fall-out.

From Singleton’s perspective, Ja Rule was a little disrespectful when entertaining the directors offer and meeting him to discuss it at his studio. His attitude and dismissal of the offer struck a chord with Singleton, who instantly offered the role to fellow rapper Ludacris. He accepted instantly, and has since gone on to enjoy a prominent role in the series and the beginnings of a lucrative Hollywood career.

Despite the controversy that was courted at the time, Ja Rule and Singleton are now firm friends. It is also fair to surmise that the incident reflected a little unfairly on Ja Rule, who was entitled to prioritise his career and make decisions based on his long term goals. We must also understand the innate gambler’s spirit that underpins Ja Rule’s persona, as the hip-hop star is a renowned player of casino games online and offline.

So although the decision appears to have been the wrong one (Ja Rule has openly admitted this himself in the years since), he was justified in his response and entitled to make this at the time.