Hip-hop is a high-pressure environment. Every move you make is under scrutiny, and when you’re at the top of your game, the stakes are even higher. While both 50 Cent and Jay-Z have long since passed the prime of their careers, the tension between them has never truly faded. Despite their occasional attempts at maintaining a professional relationship, it seems that the animosity between them continues to simmer, with 50 Cent often throwing jabs and Jay-Z using subtle digs when the opportunity arises. But how exactly did this nearly 20-year feud start?
Our story begins with a young and hungry Curtis Jackson, born and raised in Jamaica, Queens. 50’s story mirrors Jay-Z’s in many ways. The only difference is that these stories took place in different boroughs. While 50 was selling drugs for the Supreme Team in the mid-’90s, Jay-Z was moving bricks in Brooklyn in the earlier part of the decade. Determined to follow in Jay-Z’s footsteps from hustler to hip-hop superstar, 50 got on his grind and started rapping.
Early on, 50 developed a little resentment toward Jay for allegedly stealing an idea from him when Jay was still on the come-up. Speaking years later, 50 reminded everyone that Jay-Z wasn’t the first East Coast rapper to collaborate with UGK’s Bun B and Pimp C, as many believed. In reality, 50 had already done so on one of his early mixtapes. Though petty, Jay working with UGK near 50’s turf seemed enough to earn him a spot in 50’s crosshairs. This tension intensified when 50 released the groundbreaking track “How to Rob” in 1999, in which he fantasized about robbing various prominent MCs for their money and jewelry. Jay-Z was one of the targets in the track, and though Jay could’ve ignored it, he felt compelled to respond. At Summer Jam 1999, Jay-Z took a shot at 50, inadvertently playing right into his hands.
By acknowledging 50’s “How to Rob” record, Jay helped legitimize him, making 50 even more relevant in New York’s hip-hop scene. This exposure, combined with the subsequent boost in his career, was just what 50 needed to gain traction. Though the shooting that nearly derailed his career happened shortly after, 50 learned a valuable lesson from the situation: people will always respond to competition.
Fast forward a few years, and 50 Cent would climb back to prominence, this time with the backing of Eminem and Dr. Dre. By 2003, he was a hip-hop force to be reckoned with, releasing Get Rich or Die Tryin’, an album that would go on to sell over 10 million copies, a feat that Jay-Z never achieved with any of his albums. Jay-Z, who was already at the top of his game, seemed to welcome 50’s arrival, and for a time, the two even planned a joint tour. However, Jay-Z suddenly dropped out, and 50 Cent ended up taking over as the headliner. This moment sparked more tension between them, with many seeing it as a slight on Jay-Z’s part.
In 2003, Jay-Z announced his “retirement” with The Black Album, positioning it as his swan song. However, just as 50 was on the rise, Jay-Z faced one of the biggest PR disasters of his career: his collaboration with R. Kelly during the Best of Both Worlds era. After R. Kelly’s legal issues emerged, Jay-Z’s decision to continue working with him caused public backlash. Meanwhile, 50 was quickly solidifying his spot as the dominant force in hip-hop, and Jay’s “retirement” seemed increasingly less convincing.
By 2004, Jay-Z’s departure from the public spotlight to take on the role of president at Def Jam further fueled 50 Cent’s claim that Jay-Z was simply quitting the game in order to maintain his position of power. 50 even mocked Jay-Z’s career, suggesting that Jay had to leave music to stay relevant, while 50 kept selling millions of records.
The feud seemed to hit another high point when 50 Cent had a public rivalry with Kanye West in 2007, battling it out for the top spot on the charts. When Kanye’s Graduation outsold 50’s Curtis, 50 tried to spin it as a result of Jay-Z’s influence at Def Jam, believing that Jay-Z used his resources to back Kanye and push him ahead of 50.
The relationship between the two remained tense but complicated. In 2009, 50 took aim at Jay during the infamous Taylor Swift/Kanye VMA incident, suggesting that Jay-Z wouldn’t have been much of an obstacle for Kanye if the person involved had been 50.
Despite the continuous snipes at each other, there was still a level of mutual respect between the two — until 50 pushed the boundaries further in 2009. After Jay-Z allegedly threw shade at him in public, 50 fired back, claiming that Jay’s success had been overshadowed by his lack of album sales compared to 50’s.
For the next few years, their paths rarely crossed. But in 2014, 50 took another jab, calling Jay-Z the “most overrated rapper of all time” in an interview. At the time, 50 had ventured into television production, while Jay-Z had solidified his place as the head of Roc Nation.
In 2022, during the Super Bowl halftime show, 50 Cent made a surprise appearance, sparking rumors that it was only due to Eminem’s intervention. Though there was no direct confrontation, many saw this as 50’s way of inserting himself into the spotlight that Jay-Z had earned as part of the show.
Over the years, 50 Cent has made it clear that he doesn’t respect Jay-Z, believing that Jay has played the game with too much calculation and manipulation. As long as they both continue to exist in the public eye, the tension between the two will likely never disappear. Each represents a different approach to success in hip-hop, but one thing is certain: 50 Cent’s disdain for Jay-Z is as undeniable as it is enduring.
