AceShowbiz - Ja Rule realizes "what is important" in life after attending a funeral. The 47-year-old rapper - whose real name is Jeffrey Bruce Atkins Sr. - is wedded to high school sweetheart Aisha Atkins and has Britney, 28, Jeffrey, 23, and 18-year-old Jordan with her and learned, whilst attending a memorial service for a friend's father, that spending time with his children should always take precedence in life.

"Out of all his great accomplishments in life … and [everything] his father had accomplished, the things that [my friend] spoke about as a grown man on that stage during his eulogy were things like going long for the football and those moments when you were a child, So, that made me really think about, in life, what's really important," he told Us Weekly.

"You think it's the financial stability and those things that the kids really appreciate, but they really appreciate your time more than anything. Once you grasp that concept, you'll be better off in fatherhood."

Towards the end of last year, the "Holla Holla" hitmaker told the outlet that the "best gifts" he had ever received were his wife and children before revealing that his "biggest fan" is a teenage girl and he loves being able to see his music inspire the younger generations.

He said, " 'Daddy's Little Baby' is my favourite single. It's a song I wrote for my daughter. The best gifts I've received are my children from my beautiful wife and my biggest fan is a 13-year-old girl named Ashanti. It's great when you see your music is still inspiring younger generations."

However, at the time, he also joked that, while he "probably should" regard his wedding ring as his "favourite piece" of jewellery, it is in fact his ICONN Chain.