Rapper Ja Rule played the role of Edwin in the original 2001 Fast and Furious movie. His character unfortunately didn’t reappear in 2 Fast 2 Furious or any of the various sequels that followed it and Ja Rule is revealing it was about money. However, things could’ve been different if the Grammy nominee had stayed on for the sequels. His character was ultimately replaced by franchise staple Tej Parker, played by Ludacris. Almost two decades later, the rapper is explaining why he turned down the opportunity and revealed whether or not he regrets it.
The billboard charting rapper was offered the chance to be a lead role in the 2003 sequel alongside Paul Walker and Tyrese. During that time, he was dominating the music charts with hits like “Always on Time” and “Livin’ It Up.” During an interview with Insider, Ja reveals how money played a role in his decision to choose music over the blockbuster franchise:
“I was probably the biggest artist in the rap game. I’ll propose this to you: I’m John Singleton. I’m gonna offer you $500,000 to shoot a movie for three months. Or I’m going on a tour and I’m gonna make close to $15 million in the span of less than two months. Well, what you doing? Who knew that there was going to be 10 of them? But even still, I would’ve had to do 10 movies to make that kind of money, or at least eight.”
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Despite the franchise going on to become a huge success, Ja doesn’t regret his decision.
“I don’t at all. Everybody has become the Monday morning quarterback: ‘He missed out on doing 10 ‘Fast & Furious’ movies.’ That’s okay. I’m fine with that. I’m Ja Rule, the amazing artist that has had an amazing career, an amazing songwriter. That’s who I am. That’s who people see me as. That’s who I want to be revered as.”
Thoughts?
