Before the feud: How Fat Joe helped 50 Cent on one of his biggest hits
In the world of hip-hop, rivalries often overshadow collaborations. Yet, one of 50 Cent‘s biggest hits, ‘Candy Shop,’ owes an unexpected debt to a future rival: Fat Joe. Fif is not shy of flapping his gums and has had feuds with pretty much every major player in the hip-hop game, but few of those have helped him get one of his biggest hits off the ground.
Before the feud between these two rap titans escalated, Fat Joe played a pivotal role in the creation of the 2005 smash. Initially, producer Scott Storch offered the beat to Fat Joe, who, despite helping shape the track, felt it wasn’t for him. He passed on it, opening the door for 50 Cent to take it to the top of the charts.
“I’m pretty sure the world don’t know we actually produced ‘Candy Shop’ together. I produced it with him (producer Scott Storch), made the intro, put the sounds together,” Fat Joe told XXL.
Fat Joe, riding high on the success of ‘Lean Back,’ didn’t feel the beat fit his style. “I figured at the time ‘Lean Back’ was popping so Scott called me like 50 times, 100 times: ‘Yo, you sure you don’t want to use it? 50 Cent called me. 50 Cent want it,’” he continued. “I never had a problem with this dude. I was like, ‘Go ahead.’ The next day, I get in there and hear ‘Candy Shop’… Sometimes you know beats ain’t for you.”
Little did he know, this decision would contribute to a hit that would define 50 Cent’s career. The instrumental, with its sultry groove, seemed tailor-made for 50’s swaggering delivery. When 50 Cent finally laid his verses over the beat, the track became an instant classic, cementing its place in hip-hop history.
But what makes this story even more intriguing is the context of their subsequent beef. The two rappers eventually engaged in a bitter feud, with 50 Cent taking shots at Fat Joe in his diss track ‘Piggy Bank.’ The irony wasn’t lost on Fat Joe, who later expressed bewilderment at the animosity, given his indirect role in creating one of 50’s biggest hits.
However, the reason for the feud was likely to do not with Fat Joe specifically but with 50 Cent’s longtime enemy Ja Rule: “He feels like anybody that rocks with Ja Rule is his enemy. But I never thought it would bother him or affect him,” explained Joe.
Years later, the tension would finally ease after the death of their mutual friend, Chris Lighty, leading to a truce. After the funeral, during a tribute performance at the BET Awards, Fat Joe was rehearsing when he eventually came face to face with 50: “So we rehearse, I perform ‘Lean Back,’ and then 50 Cent comes out. He ends up right where I’m at. When the music stops, he puts his hands out, and he says, ‘Peace for Chris Lighty. Chris Lighty wanted peace.’”
Still, the story of ‘Candy Shop’ serves as a fascinating footnote in the complex relationship between Fat Joe and 50 Cent. But, in truth, 50 Cent has a complex relationship with almost everyone.