Ja Rule has joined the ranks of the many people who believe that NBA star Ja Morant‘s recent behavior was influenced by Hip Hop music, but thinks there’s more to it.
TMZ asked the Murder Inc. superstar to offer his thoughts on Chicago Bulls guard Patrick Beverley’s recent comments about the embattled Memphis Grizzlies star, who has been suspended eight games for flashing a firearm on Instagram Live earlier this month.
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“It’s crazy to say this but Charleston White was absolutely correct,” said Beverley on an episode of his podcast last week. “The music we listen to and how that is the new brand. The music say I keep pipe, I do this and I do that. That turns into, ‘I need a pipe.’ A pipe meaning gun.”
To Ja Rule, that sounds like a very strong possibility, as he remembers adopting certain behaviors after hearing about them through music when he was younger.
“You know, Hip Hop is very influential,” Ja Rule said. “I’ve done things in my youth because of Hip Hop. Ya know, Redman made ‘How To Roll A Blunt,’ we started smoking blunts. Snoop made ‘Gin & Juice,’ we started drinking gin and juice. So Hip Hop is influential; I’m not gonna say it’s not. How far people take it is what it is.”
Patrick Beverley wasn’t the only professional basketball player to point to Hip Hop for Ja Morant’s recent troubles. On March 7, former NBA star Paul Pierce took to Twitter to ask why Morant’s actions were being looked at differently than what rappers do fairly regularly.
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“But we glorify and normalize all the rappers who do it and get paid from waiving Guns in rap videos making millions,” Pierce tweeted. “I’m trying to understand make this make since, what crime did he commit [Pondering face emoji].”
Cam’ron, on the other hand, attributed Morant’s mindset to something he calls the “Gary Coleman Syndrome,” referencing the late Diff’rent Strokes actor. According to Killa Cam, it’s a term to describe people who receive a ton of money at a young age but don’t know how to act.
“I call it the ‘Gary Coleman Syndrome,’” Cam explained. “He never played sports, but I call it the Gary Coleman Syndrome. It’s when you get money at a young age, and you got more money than the n-ggas around you, so when the older n-ggas around you got some knowledge, you don’t wanna hear that. You only listen to the n-ggas that be like, ‘Word, you doing the right thing.’”
To Cam’s point, Ja Rule also feels that Ja Morant’s entourage could help him choose a better path.
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“I just hope he has better people around him to let him know that ain’t the way,” the “Always On Time” rapper said. “Go play ball, man, do you; the streets ain’t nothin’. Keep grinding on ’em, keep ballin’, that’s it. We all make mistakes, I made plenty when I was young. It happens.”
Ja Rule added that he also hopes the world gives Ja Morant the space he needs to course correct.
