If rap beef were a literal sport, 50 Cent would be in its Hall of Fame. Through 25 or so years in the industry, Fif’s initiated and maintained a multitude of rap conflicts, showcasing a level of sustained ferocity that would’ve made 2Pac proud. Most recently, fif’s aimed his attention at Diddy, the disgraced hip-hop mogul who’s now the subject of several assault and misconduct allegations. While the allegations against Diddy are horrific, 50’s problems with the Bad Boy Records founder began a long time ago.
Over the last 18 or so years, Fif’s made time to throw intermittent shots at Diddy, with the topics ranging from childish jokes to murder accusations. It’s a layered history that’s only grown more complicated as 50’s let his inner idealist—or, some might say, opportunist—spur him to confront Diddy about all the allegations against him. In December, he announced plans to create a docuseries focusing on the allegations against the business titan, and by May, he’d sold Netflix the rights to the series. It’s all a level of intentionality and outright execution that begs the question: Why is 50 so invested in this? And where and when did his relationship with Diddy get so ugly? After all, they’re two New York stalwarts who helped transform hip-hop in their own respective ways. They both got started in the ’90s. They even both shared the late Chris Lighty as a manager.
The story of 50 Cent and Diddy is a complex labyrinth of machismo, failed record deals, ghostwriting and disrespectful memes. So let’s sift through it. Today, we take a look at the roots of their relationship, which now stretches well over 23 years.
