50 Cent is well-known for trolling and participating in public feuds with other celebrities. Whether it’s Madonna, Floyd Mayweather or his son, the Queens rapper is seemingly never afraid to share his humorous and sometimes controversial opinions. However, one of 50 Cent’s most bizarre feuds was with the Miami rapper Rick Ross.
The origin of their beef is relatively unclear. Still, according to the online publication Highsnobiety, the two rappers had an unsavoury interaction at a BET event in the late 2000s that then escalated online. In 2009, during Maybach Music Group’s heyday, Rick Ross decided to take aim at Jackson on the track, ‘Mafia Music.’ Taunting 50 Cent, the emcee declared, “I love to pay ya bills, can’t wait to pay ya rent / Curtis Jackson baby mama, I ain’t askin’ for a cent.” He continued, “Burn the house down n*gga you gotta buy another / Don’t forget the gas can, jealous, stupid motherf*cker.”
The lyrics, which initially seemed vague, addressed a domestic violence court case 50 Cent found himself wrapped up in throughout 2008. As the matter pertained to his relationship with his child’s mother, 50 Cent immediately retaliated by releasing his song, ‘Officer Ricky (Go Head, Try Me).’ The title, referring to Ross as “Officer”, highlighted the musician’s former position with the South Miami Police Department. From here, their tit-for-tat spiralled.
As the back and forth continued endlessly on Twitter, the public became increasingly confused about the actual issue between the two artists. Speaking with Billboard magazine in 2009, Ross denied responsibility stating, “My name was mentioned before I ever did anything. When someone mentions my name because they’re attacking someone that I’m close with, it’s my problem now.” Like children bickering, the two rappers would continue to quibble on social media for years. However, things only got worse, and in 2015 a grave allegation was made against Jackson.
During their online debacle, Rick Ross’ ex-girlfriend and mother of his child, Lastonia Leviston, would speak out, claiming that 50 Cent had purposefully leaked a sex tape of her to spite Ross. Having to endure a slew of tiresome legal proceedings, 50 Cent was ordered by a judge to compensate Leviston the sum of $7 million. According to Billboard, 50 Cent then took legal action against his own lawyers for what he perceived to be their incompetence in debunking the lie. Jackson even took it a step further by alleging it was, in fact, Ross who had released the sex tape in a grand scheme to flip the script and disparage him. In a statement Ross gave to AllHipHop.com, he clarified, “Although I have no ill will towards Curtis personally, I believe he truly dislikes me. It is obvious that Curtis and I have had our beef over the years, but enough is enough.”
With Instagram at their disposal, the two have never stopped insulting each other. In 2019, Ross, when asked he would ever consider collaborating with 50 Cent, he stated that he couldn’t as Jackson’s music rapper lacked “value.” Elaborating on his statement in an interview with music publication, Complex, Ross bluntly stated, “I don’t know what his value is to music culture at this moment. I never made music with him. I don’t have interest in making music with him.” Unsurprisingly, for every shortcoming Rick Ross has had, 50 Cent has been there to clown him. From the controversial “date rape” lyric that saw him lose a deal with Reebok to his Wingstop legal case, Jackson has made sure to get online to goad and troll him. You can hear 50 Cent’s diss track ‘Officer Ricky (Go Head, Try Me)’ in the video below.
