Ja Rule is preparing for a milestone that has shifted his perspective in unexpected ways. The rapper recently shared that becoming a grandfather has brought a new sense of joy and reflection into his life.
Speaking with PEOPLE, Ja said he is embracing the moment fully. “It’s a blessing. I’m very, very happy and excited,” he said. “My first child was my daughter, a girl, and my first grandchild is also going to be a girl.”
The experience, he admitted, has already softened him. “If I wasn’t soft enough, we are going to take a second dose of it, but I’m so happy,” he explained. “I can’t wait to see her.”
For Ja, the arrival also represents a return to a stage of life he thought was behind him. “It’s weird, you get older, and then you get back into little people mode,” he said. “You want a little person around again in the house. All my kids are grown, so it’s been a long time, so it’s going to be a lot of fun for me and the misses.”
The news first became public in October when Ja appeared on The Sherri show and revealed his daughter Brittney Atkins was expecting her first child with her husband, Tevin Aitken. “I’m about to be a grandfather. That don’t even sound right,” Ja joked.
He later described how Brittney shared the announcement. “It was very cute the way she did it. She put the sonogram in a box, and it was a card that said, ‘You’re now grandma and grandfather,’ and the sonogram was in the thing,” he recalled.
Ja also revealed the nickname he plans to adopt. “I think I’m going to steal my name from the Notorious B.I.G. Yeah. I love it when they call me Big Poppa,” he laughed. When gifted a cardigan labeled with the name, his reaction was immediate. “I love it,” he said. “Big Poppa is in the building.”