Ja Rule used to skip out on the Red Lobster bill because of his empty funds, but now he is reaping the rewards of his labour.

The Queens rapper was interviewed by Us Weekly on Thursday, July 10, during a party celebrating the launch of his new mixed slushie drink at the Tender Crush crispy chicken restaurant in New York City’s Soho neighbourhood. Ja Rule disclosed there that he wanted his now-wife, Aisha, to appreciate the finer things in life, even if they were out of his price range. Ja Rule’s latest whisky, Amber & Opal, has reached the market.

“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***,” he said to the outlet. “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.'”

However, Ja Rule asserts that the dine & dash occurrences were caused by Red Lobster. “And Red Lobster was at fault for this as there was a pay phone and lavatory near the entryway. In the past, folks would pretend to be on a pay phone, slide out, hit the loo and then slide out again. Therefore, I did it.

Nevertheless, Ja Rule’s wife, with whom he has been married for 24 years and has three children together, just lately learnt of his convoluted dining habits.

“We used to eat good,” he recalled. “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.”