Ja Rule, jailed rapper, finds new posse, high-powered advice behind bars

(CBS/AP) NEW YORK - Rapper Ja Rule has found a new posse behind bars - he's getting advice from a pair of formerly powerful men: ex-New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi and ex-Tyco International CEO Dennis Kozlowski.

Ja Rule (real name Jeffrey Atkins) is serving two years for gun possession and tax evasion at Mid-State Correctional Facility in Oneida, New York.

His new jail friends, who he calls "Hevey D" and "Koz," have urged him to pursue a higher education, and Kozlowski advised him to buy airline stock and study business.

"Outside, you don't meet guys like this every day. This place is amazing," Ja Rule told the New York Daily News during an interview.

The rap star says the disgraced men took him under their wing. They even watch Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert together, reports the Daily News.

Ja Rule will be taking college-level courses later this month.

Ja Rule is not scheduled to get out until February 2013, but he's getting ready for his new album, "Pain is Love 2," to drop later this month.

Hevesi was convicted in a pay for play corruption scheme. Kozlowski was convicted of fraud and larceny involving more than $100 million in bonuses.

"It's funny," Ja Rule said. "We're from totally different walks of life. But when you're here, you're here."