Fat Joe Explains How He Almost Squashed 50 Cent & Ja Rule Beef

BYGabriel Bras Nevares1.6K Views
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The “2021 Soul Train Awards” Presented By BET - Backstage
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 20: Ja Rule and Fat Joe attend The “2021 Soul Train Awards” Presented By BET at World Famous Apollo on November 20, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for BET)
This could've changed a part of hip-hop history...

The 50 Cent and Ja Rule beef is among hip-hop's most infamous, both for its decades of history and for the petty and often heavy rivalry it represents. However, things could've turned out much differently if both MCs listened to Fat Joe back in the day. Joey Crack recently hopped on Shannon Sharpe's Club Shay Shay program for a lengthy and compelling sit-down, eventually landing on this fiery feud. For those unaware, Joe was somewhat caught in the middle when he featured on Ja's "New York" track from 2004. He said that he had the chance to squash the beef, but that Murder Inc. declined.

"I had it, I was squashing the beef," Fat Joe claimed to Shannon Sharpe. "I had it. And Irv and Ja was like, 'Nah, we ain't squashing s**t.' Yeah, I swore I had it. I don't want to put it on [50 Cent], but I think 50 was almost like, 'Yo, Joe, whatever you want to do.' So I had that, and then when I went to them. They was like, 'F**k that.' Do I recommend for beef to be 20-30 years? I think that's dumb, I think it should be over. I think it would show amazing growth for hip-hop music if those two squash their beef and we move on. Like me, I moved on. You got to move on from these moments, they're stuck on some s**t. Just move on."

Fat Joe Speaks On Ja Rule & 50 Cent Beef

However, Fat Joe also made it clear that he's a big admirer and supporter of what both 50 Cent and Ja Rule have done with their careers despite their feud. In addition, he fought back against the notion that rap beef automatically brings more success, since he lost some brand partnerships with Reebok and Jordan due to the feud with Fif.

Meanwhile, Fat Joe also recently commented on Dame Dash's financial situation and how it saddens him despite being cool with the Roc-A-Fella executive. As for 50 Cent and Ja Rule, they continue to send jabs at each other every now and then, although not as intensely as before. If they were bored back when Joe approached them for a reconciliation, maybe things would be different...

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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