50 Cent claims he’s “best friends” with former enemy Fat Joe
2024 has seen several rap feuds hit the news. While the most famous and fraught of them all is that between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, elsewhere, ASAP Rocky has also recently sent for the Canadian rapper, and in one of the stranger spats, Hurricane kicked off a new one with 50 Cent. However, in a surprise to all hip-hop fans, it seems that one of the genre’s most notorious rivalries, between Fiddy and Fat Joe, is now over.
Despite being legends in New York rap, starting out in the 1990s, Fat Joe and 50 Cent had one of the most high-profile feuds. Taking potshots at each other on record and in the media for years, it all kicked off due to Fiddy’s opposition to Irv Gotti’s label, Murder Inc. Records and their flagship artist Ja Rule, his main rival.
Famously, things came to a head at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, when a heated row during a commercial break caused Fat Joe to take a shot at Fiddy while presenting Missy Elliott with the ‘Best Hip-Hop’ video. As a result, 50 Cent called Joe a “pussy boy” on stage, and the latter lost a $20 million deal with Nike just days later.
In a new episode of Million Dollaz Worth of Game, 50 Cent has revealed that he and Joe have put their feud aside and become best friends. He explained that the beef commenced because of Joe’s closeness to Murder Inc., with him deeming anyone on good terms with the label as an enemy. It’s a sign of the times, and the bravado attached to the music back then.
“I didn’t f*ck with people because they had already dealt with them,” he said. “The entire beginning of my career I was up against the leverage of Murder Inc. So, my whole beef with Fat Joe was really his loyalty.”
“Later we become the best friends, like I really f*ck with him,” 50 Cent added. “He’s loyal to a default, because he worked with him.”
The ‘Candy Shop’ rapper’s comments were echoed by Joe, who has also revealed that the pair are now great friends. The Terror Squad leader maintained that their rivalry was also natural, given their status as big fish in New York’s rap world. Ironically, his profile was raised high by having the beef with 50 Cent outside of just hardcore rap fans.
“I had the persona of New York Suge Knight,” Joe said. “So for [50 Cent] talking about Fat Joe in the same city. The funeral homes was making bids.”