Ja Rule has issued an apology after footage of his confrontation with G-Unit rappers Tony Yayo and Uncle Murda made the rounds online.
In a statement to ABC News on Wednesday (February 11), the 49-year-old rapper admitted regret over how he handled the situation. “I’m not proud of my behavior it’s goofy to me. I’m a grown man about to be a proud grandfather and I wish that video of me wasn’t out there either. I don’t like people taking me out of my character so for that I apologize to my wife, family, fans, business and investment partners.”
He added, “I want people to know at the end of the day I’m still a man and I’m going to stand my ground. I don’t start trouble.”
In the now-viral clip, the “Always On Time” rapper is seen sitting a row ahead of Tony Yayo and Uncle Murda inside an airplane cabin. Before the plane could depart, the exchange between them escalated into a heated verbal back-and-forth. Flight attendants stepped in, and Ja Rule ultimately did not remain on the flight.
“I was removed from the aircraft I was chilling ready for the flight to take [off] gave these cowards my back in the SAME SEAT before I was asked to leave the plane because passengers didn’t feel safe they said I was the aggressor,” Ja wrote in a since-deleted post on X.
Tony Yayo later claimed that Ja Rule appeared shaken and “vulnerable” during the encounter.
According to Yayo, he, Uncle Murda, and several friends were heading home after Super Bowl weekend when they realized Ja Rule was on the same flight. The tension intensified once Ja ended up seated directly in front of them.
Yayo alleged that Ja repeatedly tried to ease the situation, asking, “Yo we good?” in what he described as a non-aggressive manner.
Uncle Murda reportedly shut him down, saying, “Yo homie, don’t fucking talk to me,” while Yayo directed a vulgar insult toward the longtime rival of his friend and collaborator, 50 Cent.
Yayo claimed things escalated further when Ja Rule allegedly tossed a pillow at him — something he brushed off as “soft,” saying it only hit his shoulder.
“He lucky [50 Cent] wasn’t on the plane,” Yayo added. “N***s would have threw that n***a through the fucking airport window.”
50 Cent later weighed in on social media, suggesting Ja Rule may have escalated the situation intentionally so he could be removed from the flight. “[Grinning squinting emoji] he was by himself so he had to make a scene so they could remove him scary ass [ninja emoji]. LOL YAYO said suck my d!ck, the gay stewardess said it’s going down. LOL.”
