Jadakiss Reflects On Offering 50 Cent $1Mil To Battle Rap: "An Easy Payday"

BY Erika Marie 7.9K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Cindy Ord / Staff / Getty Images,  Brad Barket / Stringer / Getty Images
Jadakiss, 50 Cent
Fif didn't take him up on his offer.

Battle rap may not be as prevalent in hip hop as it once was, but the art is alive and well. There aren't many mainstream artists who step into a battle rap ring these days, but there are some who still have hopes of going toe-to-lyrical-toe with their opponents. Many moons ago, Jadakiss and 50 Cent were two rappers at odds and The Lox emcee even dropped a few bars targeting Fif. There was a point when Jadakiss offered to battle rap 50 Cent at Madison Square Garden with a winning pot of one million dollars, but the Power mogul respectfully declined.

Nicholas Hunt / Staff / Getty Images

While they've reconciled their differences in recent years, Jadakiss told HipHopDX that he knows he would have taken home the top prize if the battle would have unfolded. "It's just something I thought of," Jadakiss said. "Battling is therapeutic for hip hop, but you can't take it serious. I mean, you gotta take it serious because when you preparing your material for your opponent, when it affects your heart or when you let it get too personal, that's when it's gonna take away from your vigorous strike. So, you gotta have fun with it use ways to use it to your advantage."

"I felt like that was a walk in the park for me," he added about the potential face-to-face battle with him and 50 Cent. "An easy payday. You asking Floyd to fight somebody that had two fights. Not that same comparison saying Fif only had two fights, but lyrically I thought—especially in the zone that I was in at that time, it was like I hope one of these promoters or one of these fight guys call me and say, 'Yo, we got the money. We need you to come do the weigh-in and sign.' Gotta throw it out there." Watch his clip below.


About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.