It seems that Irish fans will not be seeing Ja Rule anytime soon, as the American rapper's entire UK and Irish tour has been cancelled.
The 'Always on Time' rapper was due to play Dublin's 3Arena on March 13th and Belfast's SSE Arena on March 14th with support from Keri Hilson, Lloyd, Mya and other guests, but now those dates - and his entire UK tour, which was due to start in Cardiff - has been pulled after he was refused entry to the UK. The Dublin date, as a result, is not going ahead either.
The New Yorker took to X to explain to his fans that the UK had refused his visa because of his criminal record. He has previously been arrested for drug and gun possession and has served sentences for attempted possession of a weapon and tax evasion.
Given his involvement in the infamously disastrous Fyre Festival, the rapper's recent track record for selling tickets and not delivering on them has not been great.
"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," he wrote. "This is not fair to me or my fans these venues are 85% sold and now I can’t come…"
He added: "The UK is one of the few European countries that restricts entry to people with criminal records. 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 12 months in prison."
The 48-year-old said that the UK promoter was aware of his criminal record and insisted that it wouldn't be a problem.
