Ja Rule rejects Melle Mel’s claim that he copied 50 Cent
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Ja Rule rejects Melle Mel's claim that he copied 50 Cent

Ja Rule has responded to Melle Mel‘s accusation that he ripped off 50 Cent. During an interview with The Art of Dialogue, Melle Mel pointed to Ja Rule’s ‘New York’, which features fellow New York rappers Fat Joe and Jadakiss, as evidence.

“If he would have just made that record a pure New York record, it would have been a way bigger record,” the Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five member said. “But he went the route of trying to sound hard because 50 Cent sounded hard.” Mel went on to argue that ‘New York’ was one of Ja Rule’s “last big records” before he started emulating 50 Cent.

Speaking to TMZ, Ja Rule responded to the hip-hop icon’s comments, clarifying that Mel “has earned the right to say whatever he wants”. However, he went on to slam the rapper. “Me copying 50 is the funniest shit ever because 50 copied me,” he argued. “I was his blueprint.”

Ja Rule and 50 Cent have had beef since 1999. The rivalry began when Rule was allegedly robbed at gunpoint by one of 50 Cent’s affiliates. Since then, the pair have exchanged diss tracks, thrown punches in clubs and engaged in social media battles.