Ja Rule Reflects On Failing To Report $3 Million To The IRS

Ja Rule is reflecting on the early days of his career and admitting there are plenty of financial lessons he wishes he had learned sooner.

The New York rapper built a catalog full of timeless hits and remained a staple in Hip-Hop despite the highs and lows of his career. During a recent interview, Ja looked back on his 2011 legal troubles, explaining that his lack of financial knowledge ultimately led to his prison sentence.

His story serves as a reminder that success and money don’t always come with financial literacy.

“I did my state time for the gun charge, and then as soon as I got released, the feds came and got me for failure to file taxes. I was doing some crazy sh*t. I didn’t understand money at the time.”

Ja went on to explain that he mistakenly believed cash payments from performances didn’t have to be reported to the IRS. 

“I would do sh*t like, ‘Yo, you’re giving me $250,000 for the show. Bet. Give me $50,000 in cash and send the other $200,000 to the sh*t.’ In my mind, that 50 is free cash. I don’t know why I thought that. I just thought if you gave it to me in cash, it ain’t on the books. And so I did that to the tune of $3 million f*cking dollars.”

Looking back, Ja Rule says the experience taught him valuable lessons, he’s since moved forward with a much better understanding of how to manage his finances.