Hip Hop's Greatest Beefs: 50 Cent VS Ja Rule

In the world of hip-hop history, few feuds have been as enduring and as entertaining as that of rap icons 50 Cent and Ja Rule.

Spanning over two decades, this intense (and at times hilarious) rivalry has captivated fans, dominated headlines, and shaped the very fabric of the rap industry.

Stemming from a murky incident in 1999, their feud has since evolved into a saga of verbal warfare, diss tracks, and bitter exchanges that show no signs of abating and continues to captivate fans worldwide.

So do join us as we talk a long walk down memory lane as we look back at one of hip-hop’s most iconic and wildly entertaining beefs: 50 Cent vs Ja Rule.

The Origin Of 50 Cent And Ja Rule’s Beef

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The feud between 50 Cent and Ja Rule is the stuff of lore and had its roots in the streets of Queens, New York, back in 1999 when Ja was robbed at gunpoint by one of 50 Cent’s associates for his chain while filming a music video for Murda 4 Life.

“A friend of mine robbed Ja Rule,” 50 Cent recounted in his 2005 biography From Pieces to Weight.

“That’s how the beef originally started. My man robbed him for a chain, and then this guy named Brown came and got the chain back for Ja. Later, Ja saw me in a club with the kid who robbed him. I went over to say, ‘What’s up’ to Ja, and he acted like he had a problem with me. But I’m not the one who robbed him,” 50 insisted.

After the run-in at the club, Fif released his first diss track of Ja Rule, Life’s On The Line, after which things quickly escalated when in 2000, the pair had an altercation at an Atlanta club they were both booked to perform at.

While not explicitly mentioning Ja Rule by name, the track taunted Ja’s label's signature "Murda" chant, leaving fans with a clear indication of its intended target.

In March 2000, Ja got word that Fiddy was recording at the Hit Factory studios in New York City and paid him a visit, which resulted in an altercation that saw 50 suffer a stab wound and led to the arrest of Ja Rule and Murder Inc. rapper Black Child.

Of course, 50 Cent went on to release the legendary track Wanksta in 2002 from what would be his hugely successful Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ album, with the track serving as a blatant diss aimed at Ja Rule.

In an interview with MTV a year after its release, 50 explained, "A wanksta is a gangsta that doesn't progress. [Someone] that just goes through the cycle constantly. Most gangstas' actions are for finances - they're motivated by money, the root of all evil - but how are you gangsta and you're not getting any money? You're going back and forth to jail.”

“And you're telling stories like, yeah I'm gonna get this [BMW]. And then we see you at the car lot, and you're there looking at the [BMW], and you still don't get it."

Ja Rule Takes Aim At 50 Cent, Dr Dre And Eminem

After playing relatively low, Ja came back with a fire in his belly with Loose Change, which not only took aim 50 Cent and G-Unit but also Eminem, Dr. Dre, Busta Rhymes and Chris Lighty.

However, Ja went for the jugular when took aim at Eminem’s daughter, Hailie Jade.

Talking about Mathers’ mum, ex-girlfriend and daughter, Ja Rule proclaimed, “Em, you claim your mother’s a crackhead/ And Kim is a known slut/ So what’s Hailie gonna be when she grows up?”

Eminem would go on to reference the gobsmacking move in the song Like Toy Soldiers in which he rapped about inheriting “50’s beef with Murda Inc”.

That Ja shit I tried to squash it, it was too late to stop it
There’s a certain line you just don’t cross and he crossed it
I heard him say Hailie’s name on a song and I just lost it
It was crazy, this shit went way beyond some Jay-Z and Nas shit

50 Cent, Eminem and Busta Rhymes Release Ja Rule Diss

We don’t know about you, but when it comes to hip-hop beefs, you don’t want to be in the firing line of either 50 Cent or Eminem - and after taking aim at the rappers, Ja became the target of a diss track by 50 Cent, Eminem and Busta Rhymes that was released one week after Loose Change.

Titled Hail Mary, the hip-hop heavyweights verbally assassinated Ja Rule, poking fun at his love for Tupac by rapping over the late icon’s track of the same name.

Ja later came back with yet another diss track Guess Who Shot Ya, which saw him throw jabs at his competition over a classic Biggie instrumental, and in 2003 he released his fifth studio album Blood in My Eye, which dropped numerous references to 50 Cent and G Unit.

50 Cent And Ja Rule Take The Beef To Social Media

In 2011, Ja Rule was sentenced to 28 months in prison for tax evasion, and 50 took it as the perfect opportunity to make fun of the rapper’s legal woes over social media.

The G-Unit boss shared a screenshot of the Radar Online article along with some financial advice: “You gotta pay your taxes fool,” he captioned the post, followed by laughing emojis.

Ja Rule Admits Defeat

In September 2013, Ja Rule shocked us all after he admitted in an interview to HOT 97 that he felt that he and Murder Inc had lost the battle to 50 Cent and G Unit, largely due to their problems with the IRS.

“It was a lot going on in that time frame,” Ja explained. “You got the federal indictment. Here’s what it is, it was orchestrated very well. He was a part of the juggernauts at that moment. Eminem, Dre, they were very, very big in what they were doing as well.”

“So, as we were big over on our side they were also big on their side. And as everything started to crumble for us as far as we didn’t have a label home anymore, ya understand? There was a lot of things that were falling apart for us.”

He continued, “It was easy for him to get people to turn on. And there was things that were behind the scenes that y’all don’t see that also made us seem more irrelevant. Like we couldn’t go to awards shows.”

A Brief Reconciliation

In November 2013, Ja and Fiddy ended up on a flight together and posted to Twitter, making fans think the pair had turned the flame off the grill with their ongoing beef.

"What are the chances me and 50 same flight same row no problems!!! #Grownmansh*t," Ja Rule tweeted to his followers at the time, adding, “For all those who want nothing more than for two black successful black men to KILL each other KILL YOURSELF!!! #N*ggaweoffdat.”

What are the chances me and 50 same flight same row no problems!!! #Grownmanshit
— Ja Rule (@jarule) November 18, 2013

Ja was asked about the run-in by SOHH, where he confirmed the pair were on the same flight.

“We actually did share the same flight [laughs] which is crazy. Ain’t nothing really to talk about it is what it was. He seen me, I seen him. We said what’s up and we rode our flight and that was that.” Ja said.

He continued, “We both grown men now. You guys had an epic beef. It’s not really like that in hip-hop anymore, right? That was a long time ago. We’re both about our money, about our families and we’re doing what we’re doing.”

50 Cent Puts The Beef Back On The Grill

However, in 2018, 50 Cent indicated that the beef wasn’t over after he (hilariously) bought 200 tickets for Ja Rule’s show in Las Vegas on 9 November in Texas, and left the seats empty.

Poking fun at the fact Ja’s tickets were for sale on Groupon, he posted a pic screenshot to Instagram, writing: “People think I’m mean so go see this. $15 bucks wait what do I do now LOL”.

He then wrote in the comments, “I just bought 200 seats in the front so they can be empty. LOL.”

50 Cent still slapping Ja Rule😂😭😂😭😭 pic.twitter.com/dpIaaXy2em
— 50 Cent Daily (@50cent_daily) October 26, 2018

Later, he posted a picture of himself photoshopped into the empty seats to Instagram alongside the caption, “What a show, I mean just fucking great. Do it again my kid went to the restroom. LOL”.

Ja didn’t seem too phased by the stunt, posting to Twitter, “I get under @50cent skin….I love it!!!’

I get under @50cent skin... 😜 I love it!!! 😂🤣😭 #iconn
— Ja Rule (@jarule) October 28, 2018

While the prank cost 50 Cent many cents ($3,000, in fact), it solidified him as pop culture’s most masterful troll and set the bar when it came to public clap backs.

Where 50 Cent And Ja Rule Stand Today

As for the latest on where they stand, Ja Rule gave a brief insight into his relationship with Fiddy in April 2023.

“Is there a world where 50 Cent and Ja Rule call a truce?” the interviewer asked, to which Ja responded: “If 50 Cent was to walk in here right now, what do you think is gonna happen?”

The reporter said she didn’t believe anything would happen, prompting the rapper to declare, “Exactly!”

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A post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom)

Just one month prior to Ja’s interview, 50 poked fun at the star’s supposed “curse” on The Minnesota Timberwolves, which came about after Ja was criticised for a lacklustre performance at their halftime show in 2019,

Even the official Timberwolves Twitter account got in on the criticism, which led Ja to issue a curse upon the basketball team.

“You just jinx yourself talking to the GOD this way,” he wrote in a tweet on February 2019. “You're CURSED NOW!!! You won’t win a championship for the next 30 years… AND KAT IS LEAVING!!! Apologize and I’ll lift the curse.”

In March 2023, Fiddy cleverly teamed up with the Timberwolves, posting a cheeky video from their account that referenced the supposed “curse” put on the team by his musical nemesis.

“There’s a curse, there’s a curse on the Timberwolves because somebody made a mistake and they let Ja Rule perform at [a] halftime show and it was the worst shit that ever happened,” 50 said in a video with NBA team.

“But what happened is he cursed the Timberwolves. So now we’re gonna get rid of the Timberwolves curse. I got a whole ritual planned to break the curse. So everybody get ready to follow it. You will get a chance to see what I do when the curse is broken.”

Ja replied in the comments, saying, “#RENTFREE. Only thing Curtis lifting is his skirt… 50 been on my dick he love my style!!! And now the curse has been extended...”

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We have no idea what else is to come in future from one of hip hop’s most legendary and long-running beefs, but we have no doubt that if 50 Cent is involved it’s bound to be entertaining.

The 21 Questions star is set to return to Australia this December as he celebrates the 20th anniversary of Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ as part of his Final Lap Tour.

He also revealed that R&B star Jeremih will join him on all dates of the Down Under tour.

Since the release of Fif’s Get Rich Or Die Tryin’, the hip-hop icon has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and has leveraged his star power to achieve unparalleled success as an entrepreneur, actor, director, and executive producer.

Check out 50 Cent’s tour dates below.