Ja Rule has apologized after a recent video went viral of a confrontation between him and G-Unit rappers Tony Yayo and Uncle Murda.
In a statement shared with ABC News on Wednesday (February 11), the 49-year-old rapper said: "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."
"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," he concluded.
In the viral video, the "Always On Time" rapper appeared seated in the cabin of a flight a row in front of Yayo and Murda. Before the flight could take off, a verbal altercation began between the men. Flight attendants eventually intervened and Rule did not continue with 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.
In a recent interview with VladTV, Tony Yayo shared his side of the encounter, saying Ja Rule was visibly "spooked" and "vulnerable."
Yayo explained that he, Uncle Murda, and a few friends were returning home after Super Bowl weekend when they learned Ja Rule would be on their flight. The tension peaked when Ja was seated in the row directly in front of Yayo and Murda.
Yayo claimed that Ja Rule appeared "vulnerable" and repeatedly sought reassurance, saying, "Yo we good?" in a non-aggressive way.
Uncle Murda reportedly told him, "Yo homie, don't fucking talk to me," while Yayo directed a vulgar insult at his friend and longtime collaborator 50 Cent’s nemesis .
Yayo added that the verbal sparring escalated when Ja Rule allegedly threw a pillow at him, which Yayo called "soft" and said 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."
Fif later commented on social media, suggesting Ja Rule had amplified the situation to get removed, writing: "[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."