Ja Rule denied entry into U.K. ahead of tour

Ja Rule is unable to perform in the U.K. due to his criminal record.

The Always on Time rapper announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday night that he had been denied entry into the U.K. ahead of The Sunrise Tour, which was due to kick off in Cardiff on Friday.

"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...," he wrote, with heartbroken and angry face emojis.

The 47-year-old musician, real name Jeffrey Atkins, went on to explain that he was banned because of his criminal history.

"The UK is one of the few European countries that restricts entry to people with criminal records," he told his followers. "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."

The musician was released from prison in May 2013 after serving two years on gun and tax evasion charges.

When one user told Ja Rule that he had been looking forward to the show, the rapper replied, "Me too my production was epic…"

He confirmed to another on Instagram that refunds will be available to ticketholders.

The U.K. leg of the world tour was originally scheduled to hit Cardiff, London, Birmingham, Nottingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow between 1 and 17 March. Ja Rule's support acts included Mya and Keri Hilson.