Ja Rule has had to cancel his tour of the UK – which included a night at the First Direct Arena in Leeds – after being denied entry to the country.
The rapper was supposed to be kicking off the UK leg of his The Sunrise Tour in Cardiff on Friday, before coming to Leeds on 6 March.
But he has now shared that ‘the UK won’t let him in’ due to his criminal record.
He said that he was ‘so devastated’ that he has had to cancel the tour, which he said was almost sold out.
Ja Rule also wrote that he had notified promoters of his criminal record and they’d assured his team it wouldn’t be an issue.
The Mesmerize singer wrote on X today: “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.
“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.”
He later continued: “Gonna do something special for my UK fans since I’ll NEVER be able to come across the pond stay tuned…”
Updating fans again, Ja Rule said: “My team made it CLEAR to the promoter that I have a criminal record and can’t get in the country…The PROMOTER swore this wouldn’t be an issue The PROMOTER started selling tickets y’all love to blame the artist lol… GET YOUR REFUNDS!!!”
The First Direct Arena in Leeds has shared a statement from Ja Rule’s promoter confirming the show has been cancelled.
It said: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, we regret to inform you that @JaRule’s “The Sunrise Tour” in the UK and Ireland next month has been cancelled.
“Refunds will be issued from the point of purchase. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause”
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