"Everyone's trying to find Bansky," or so says Ja Rule, who was approached about his recent tweet regarding the elusive artist at LAX Friday. "If anyone knows Banksy tell him I’m looking for him thanks," Ja wrote on Twitter earlier this week, inspiring confusion and plenty of jokes about the strange request to find the anonymous street artist. Thanks to TMZ, Ja has now explained his intentions a little more clearly.
"You know it's funny, I actually put it out there as a joke," he said. "But then I actually got a lot of real feedback from people like 'yo Ja, if you want me to get you in contact with Banksy, I actually know him.' So, it was kinda cool."
Joke or not, Ja still seemed to be interested in collaborating with Banksy, though he wouldn't reveal exactly what he had in mind. "Secret project. New stuff coming, a lot of exciting stuff. Banksy, I'm hollering, man. If you're out there, I'm looking for you," he said, acknowledging just how difficult the artist is to track down. "He's like a unicorn, a Loch Ness monster. He's one of the greater talents of our generation in art."
The Queens rapper also promised that his upcoming studio album Coupe De Grace, would be on its way soon. The LP was first announced in 2014 as Genius Loves Company, but was renamed last year. Ja has not released a proper studio album since 2012's Pain Is Love 2, which was released during his incarceration on charges of gun possession and tax evasion. He was released from prison in May 2013.
Earlier this year, Ja Rule made headlines for his involvement in the disastrous Fyre Festival. In July, the festival's co-founder, Billy McFarland, was arrested and charged with wire fraud. He faces up to 20 years in jail. In August, it was reported that McFarland was seeking a plea deal from prosecutors.
