Ja Rule Jokingly Recalls Dining and Dashing on Early Date With Wife Aisha: ‘I Was Broke’ (Exclusive)

Ja Rule is a famous rapper now, but in the early days of his relationship with wife Aisha Atkins, he may have slipped out on a restaurant check or two.

“It’s interesting because I’ve known my wife since I was broke. Some of our best dates were then. I used to take her to, like, Red Lobster and s***,” Ja Rule, 49, exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, July 10, after debuting a new Frozen Honeycomb cocktail at Tender Crush, a New York–style crispy chicken spot in SoHo.

“I actually ran out on the meal and she didn’t know it. So I set it up, we ate and I told her, ‘Hey, let me finish up paying for this, take care of this. The cab’s outside, you go get in the cab,” the “Mesmerize” artist (real name Jeffrey Atkins) shared with Us. “And this was the fault of Red Lobster, because right by the door was the bathroom and pay phone. So people used to go fake like they on a pay phone, slide out, hit the bathroom, slide out. So, yeah, I did that.”

The “Always on Time” rapper came clean to Aisha years later when they were older — and his wife, 47, was surprised to hear about his youthful theft.

“[Aisha] said, ‘You didn’t do that.’ I said, ‘Yeah, I did it a couple of times,” Ja Rule jokingly admitted. “We used to eat good. Those are the good times that you have. And we [are] able to still laugh about and share when we’re eating good and actually paying for the meals. You remember those times.”

The Queens-born rapper and his wife celebrated 24 years of marriage this past April. The couple, who have known each other since middle school, share three children: daughter Brittney, 29, and sons Jeffrey, 25, and Jordan, 22.

Ja Rule’s tastes have certainly gotten more refined since his early days of dining and dashing. He is a cofounder of Amber & Opal, a rye whiskey brand, alongside Herb Rice, Kelvin Barton and Sandy Sandiford.

His latest collaboration with Tender Crush features Amber & Opal whiskey in a slushie-style drink that will be available at the restaurant’s SoHo location at 529 Broome Street in New York City. Tender Crush was created by Chris Barish and Julie Mulligan, cofounders of the popular burger chain Black Tap, which is known for its signature CrazyShake milkshakes.

Ja Rule is about to begin the U.S. leg of the Where the Party at Tour with Nelly and other special guests. Dates continue until mid-September.