Only die-hard Fast & Furious fans may remember that Ja Rule played a substantive role as Edwin in the original 2001 film. His character unfortunately didn’t reappear in 2 Fast 2 Furious or any of the various sequels that followed it. However, things could’ve been different if the Grammy nominee had stayed on for the sequels. The rapper’s character could’ve played a much bigger role, though he was ultimately replaced by franchise staple Tej Parker, who’s 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 chart-topping musical artist spoke about missing out on his chance to continue with the decades-long racing franchise while chatting with Insider. Ja Rule — whose actual name is Jeffrey Atkins. was offered the chance to be a lead role in the 2003 sequel alongside Paul Walker and Tyrese. At the same time, he was dominating the music charts with hits like “Always on Time” and “Livin’ It Up.” During the recent interview, he discussed 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.
Hindsight is 20-20. But in all fairness, the legendary rapper was coming from a place of logic. The offer he got to star in the the Fast & Furious sequel didn’t compare to the money he would make on tour. While Ja Rule was an upstart in film, he was one of hip-hop’s hottest commodities in the early to mid-2000s. He was in high demand as an artist and songwriter. Additionally, the rap legend admitted his rejection wasn’t just about the money but over franchise star Vin Diesel not signing on for the sequel as well.
While most viewers might see passing on the Fast & Furious franchise as a missed opportunity, Ja Rule doesn’t view it like that despite the film series going on to gross billions at the box office. The music icon explained why he doesn’t regret missing out on the smattering of Fast & Furious sequels:
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.
You can’t help but give props to Ja Rule for ultimately standing by his decision. Of course, considering that the franchise has a habit of bringing back characters as it did in Fast X, there’s surely a possibility that fans could see Ja Rule’s Edwin appear in some form or fashion in the upcoming franchise capper. After all, he’s continued working in film and television in the decades since the series’ first film. Time will tell if that comes to pass but, if it doesn’t, I wouldn’t expect the musician to be too bent out of shape about it.
While Ja Rule doesn’t have any acting projects lined up right now, you can check out his performance in The Fast and The Furious by streaming it with a Peacock subscription. And once you view that first film, stream the other Fast & Furious movies across multiple platforms. And finally, race to the movie theater to watch Fast X, which is one of the biggest titles on the schedule of 2023 new movie releases.