Ja Rule Says He Will Never Squash Beef With 50 Cent, Tony Yayo

Ja Rule says the beef between him and the dudes in G-Unit is in the freezer ... it's not heating up despite the recent plane exchange -- but it's always ready to thaw.

We caught up with the rapper in New York City Tuesday ... and, we asked him why he apologized for the recent argument with Tony Yayo on a Delta Flight.

JR tells us he's a grown man ... and, there's a time and a place to handle beef.

That said, Ja says he doesn't regret his behavior on the flight -- because he's no coward -- and he's ready to stand on business when called out.

As for when we can expect Ja to sit down with 50 Cent and Tony to officially squash the beef ... and, it sounds like we'll be waiting a long time. Ja says the war is cold -- but that doesn't mean he wants to be buddy-buddy with these other dudes.

We shared video of Ja Rule's shouting match on a flight headed from San Francisco to NYC ... during which he even chucked a pillow at Yayo. He later released the statement apologizing -- referring to his own behavior as "goofy."

Bottom line ... a full-on rap war hasn't kicked off yet -- but, a Ja-Yayo collab ain't forthcoming!