Ja Rule Tells Ja Morant 'Go Play Ball, Man,' Advises He Ignore Hip Hop

Last week, NBA veteran Patrick Beverley said Ja Morant's off-the-court behavior is a negative byproduct of violent rap music. And according to hip hop star Ja Rule, there might be something to that.

Ja Rule recently told TMZ Sports hip hop music is "very influential."

"I’ve done things in my youth because of hip hop," he said. "Redman made 'How to Roll a Blunt,' we started smoking blunts. Snoop made 'Gin and Juice,' we started drinking gin and juice."

These kids and their video games and their rap music!

Truthfully, though, Ja Morant would be a lot better off if he had just laid back with some gin and juice.

Instead, the Memphis Grizzlies star is serving an eight-game suspension for flashing a gun on Instagram Live during a $50,000 strip club bender.

Ja Morant flashes a gun on Instagram Live. (Credit: Twitter)

Ja Rule Offers Advice To Ja Morant

The 47-year-old rapper says it's not just the music. It's the company you keep.

"I just hope he has better people around him to just let him know that ain’t the way," he said. "Go play ball, man, do you. The streets ain’t about nothing."

But he also acknowledged no one is perfect.

"We all make mistakes," he said. "I made plenty when I was young, so it happens."

Ja Morant, 23, entered a rehab center after the incident in an attempt to atone for those mistakes. But after just two days of counseling, he was already out — a brand new man. Or so he says.

"In the future, I will show everybody who Ja really is, what I'm about and change this narrative," Morant told Jalen Rose in a sit-down interview earlier this week.

For now, though, Ja Rule says everyone needs to get off Morant's back.

"People gotta get up off him right now and let him do his healing process," Ja Rule said. "Let him come back and ball out."

Morant is eligible to return to the Grizzlies Monday.

So we'll see if he puts his money where his mouth is — or if he continues to scatter it all over the strip club floor.