Ja Rule Denied Pretrial DNA Hearing in Gun Case

A court is telling Ja Rule to book a date in New York City this summer  - for a trial in his three-year-old gun case.

A Manhattan judge set an Aug. 18 trial date on Tuesday.

The judge had turned down the platinum-selling rapper's request for a hearing on scientific issues surrounding DNA evidence.

Ja Rule was allowed to skip Tuesday's court date for a movie shoot out of town.

He has pleaded not guilty to weapon possession. Police said they found a loaded semiautomatic gun in his luxury sports car as he was being driven away from a July 2007 concert.

Ja Rule's "Pain is Love'' was nominated for a best rap album Grammy Award in 2002. His movie acting credits include 2001's "The Fast and the Furious."

His real name is Jeffrey Atkins.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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