Ja Rule was denied admission into the United Kingdom a few days before the start of his new tour, which had been planned since December. The performer was scheduled to perform his first gig for “The Sunrise Tour” on Friday.
He voiced his disappointment in a series of social media posts, tweeting, “I’m so devastated 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…”
“The UK is one of the few European countries that restricts entry to people with criminal records,” Rule said in a follow-up post, indicating that his criminal past was the reason for his denial of entry. “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. This…🤬” he expressed.
Ja Rule was freed from prison in May 2013 after spending two years in prison for crimes related to gun and tax evasion, according to People.
When a fan asked, the artist indicated that reimbursements would be offered, but did not provide any other information.
Some fans in the comments questioned why more inquiry was not done before selecting the location. “Booked and gutted, but…… .Surely for such a global artist, “Team JA” would have checked this beforehand. Disappointing for fans,” one remarked.
In expressing their sympathy, some asked that the well-known rapper not be attacked, stating, “For the ones saying he should have sorted it out or did research, y’all have to understand that it was handled by the promoter ik for fact ja wouldn’t do anything to hurt his fans and he put his all into this tour i understand fans are mad or confused but y’all have to understand this isn’t his fault.”
However, this is not the first time a celebrity has been denied entry to the United Kingdom. In 2007, Snoop Dogg was forced to cancel his tour with Diddy due to an unsuccessful appeal, according to HipHopDX.
He was unable to attend the MTV Australian Video Music Awards, which he was scheduled to co-host, due to entry restrictions.
According to Unlock, a nonprofit in the U.K. that helps people with criminal records, those who have been convicted of a crime punishable by at least 12 months imprisonment are normally barred from entering the nation. Furthermore, a citizen “may be refused permission to stay on the basis of his character, conduct or associations or if he represents a threat to national security.”
According to the website, “clearance officers will take into account any available local intelligence about a person’s criminal activities overseas,” despite the fact that the nation has access to other countries’ criminal records.