Photo: Getty Images
They've been married since 2001.
By Emily Blackwood — Written on Mar 06, 2019
Ja Rule may have risen to fame in the early 2000s with hits like "Between Men and You," "I'm Real" and "Ain't It Funny," but he's back in the spotlight thanks to the millennial fraud that is the Fyre Festival.
The American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor became involved with the notorious scammer Billy McFarland back in November 2006, introducing him as his "partner in crime" at The Web Summit. Ja Rule became the public face of what was supposed to be the "party of the century," complete with a music festival, luxury accommodations and the chance to party with the likes of Kylie Jenner and Bella Hadid — all taking place in the beautiful Bahamas.
But when the festival turned out to be nothing more than a giant scam, one that left hundreds of people stranded on the island in hurricane tents, people started to wonder how much or how little Ja Rule was really aware of.
After the Netflix and Hulu documentaries came out about Fyre Festival, Ja Rule defended himself on Twitter.
“I too was hustled, scammed, bamboozled, hood winked(sic), lead astray!!!” he tweeted. While people are starting to come around and realize that McFarland scammed and "bamboozled" a lot of people who were involved with the festival, the attention is still on Ja Rule and those closest to him, like his wife.
So who is Ja Rule's wife? Here's everything we know about Aisha Atkins.
1. They were married in 2001.
Ja Rule — born Jeffrey Bruce Atkins — married his high school sweetheart Aisha Atkins — born Aisha Murray — in 2001. Together, they have three children: Brittney (born in 1995), Jeffrey Jr. (born in 200), and Jordan (born in 2005).
They had a themed wedding: '40s-style gangster.
"We had 800 people. It was like mafia weddings in the movies. We didn’t come down the aisle to the Godfather theme, but we had our tuxes and tails and cigars, and a lot of champagne.”
2. He said there are pros and cons to being married to someone you've known that long.
As stated before, they met in high school. He's talked previously about their sweet first encounter.
“She was the new girl in school," he said. "I think the first time I saw her, she was getting off the bus. She was cute, but she tried to play me at first. Then she realized I was one of the cool guys at school, and got with the program.”
“The best thing is that y’all know each other. She knows Jeffrey Atkins, not Ja Rule. But my wife sometimes has a problem with Ja Rule. She feels like she doesn’t know this guy with no shirt on, rapping about sex and drugs and partying. I tell her it’s not my fault that I have such a great job!”
3. They call their parenting style "new parenting."
The family's last known residence was in a big house in New Jersey, in a home Ja Rule said that's full of chaos; the fun kind.
“There aren’t many rules in my house. Kids can jump on the furniture. Mom usually gets them for stuff like that. I’m the hip-hop dad. How can I yell at kids for being wild? I’m a madman. I’m bouncing balls through the house myself.”
"It’s all about truth. Look at The Osbournes: They’re all cursing at each other, but they have a really good relationship. I want the same with my family. I mean, having Ja Rule as a dad should be the coolest thing around.”
4. There were rumors he was leaving her for a man he met in prison.
Back in 2013, a rumor spread that Ja Rule was gay and that he was leaving her for a man he met in prison. He spent two years in prison in 2010 for attempted possession of a weapon. And Aisha was the one who seemingly started the rumor.
“He wrote all them love songs and still don’t know how to treat a b---h,” she was quoted as saying by Cream Bmp Daily blog, where the rumor started. “We spent ten-plus years building our marriage but it only took him two to decide he’d rather suck a d--- than be with his wife... He returned home alright – to get his s--- and leave.”
5. Ja Rule denied the rumors.
Ja Rule took to Twitter to address the rumors.
"Ok I guess I have to address the idiots these rumors are FALSE LIES made up by some non mf factor website CLOWNS lmao," he tweeted.
"Sorry to disappoint all the haters who want the rumors to be true so bad lol.Merry Xmas stupid love Mick&Mal," he later tweeted along with a photo of he and Aisha kissing and flipping off the camera.
Emily Blackwood is a writer and editor living in California. She covers all things news, pop culture, and true crime.