The Jay-Z album 50 Cent labelled “too smart”
50 Cent has a reputation for commenting on other rappers. Whether it be their music or personal shortfalls, if there is a scandal, the Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ emcee will always be the first to make a statement.
That said, no matter how powerful or wealthy a figure is, he is never afraid to share his opinion. In 2017, he decided to speak about Jay-Z and shared some personal views he had about his album, 4:44.
Taking to Instagram, 50 Cent made a controversial comment by calling the project “Too smart”. Many were confused as to what he meant. Some were under the impression that he believed authentic hip-hop music had to be unintelligent. Others took his insinuation even more personally, asking if he thought African-Americans wouldn’t be able to understand the album.
At the time, many cultural commentators hit back at Fifty for suggesting that people were no longer interested in intelligent and meaningful music. The Queens lyricist admitted the LP was “aiight” but was not enthusiastic about it.
While speaking about Jay, Jackson made some incredibly salient points about age and made a statement that has been echoed several times since he initially made it. Referencing his age, Fifty explained that you can’t be the hottest rapper at 47.
Figures such as Joe Budden have also spoken about age, with Budden aiming at Drake for attempting to rap like the new generation of MCs and mingling with artists such as Sexyy Red. However, Drake has never tried to be “smart”.
In his Instagram video, Jackson told fans, “I thought the sh*t was aight, you know what I’m sayin’? I liked the sh*t. But I’ma keep it 100: The sh*t was a little, the sh*t was too smart. I felt like I was supposed to be wearing glasses and sh*t, and tie a fcking sweater around my waist. It was like Ivy League sh*t.”
50 Cent blasted the album, insisting that it wasn’t the kind of material people want to hear, continuing, “I’mma tell you the truth: N*ggas hot out here. They don’t wanna hear that sh*t. They just wanna have a good time. F*ck that. You can’t be the best rapper at 47 because the new n*ggas is here.”
Although 50 Cent’s fans found his commentary incredibly funny, many publications praising the album suggested that the ‘In Da Club’ artist was endorsing ignorant rap and couldn’t fathom people enjoying music about business or finances.
Jay-Z released his critically acclaimed 4:44 in 2017. The project was highly conscious and saw an unfathomable amount of political and personal commentary from the Brooklyn emcee (real name Shawn Carter). For 4:44, Jay looked inward and spoke on a range of topics, including his experiences concerning marital issues with racism, and reflected on his childhood.
Jay-Z never responded to 50 Cent, as he has never been one for social media gimmicks. However, it is rare for people to criticise one of the wealthiest rappers of all time so publicly.