There is no doubt that 50 Cent is one of the hottest artists of the last decade. Recently, i caught up with him to reflect on the best/worst moments of 2009.
We started on the best album, then we kinda got stuck on the ‘beef’ issue, specifically the Jay-z & Beans situation. I really wanted to get into this, but I ran out of time.
What do you think is the situation with Fif and Game the same as Beans and Jay-z?
I don’t think it is. You would have heard about Game one way or another via Dre. 50’s done so much damage to other artists, what he did to Ja Rule is actually historic. I dont think people are that concerned if someone attacks 50. Its his field, his speciality, its kinda what the people expect from him/comes with the package.
50 is like Genghis Khan when it comes to Beef, so when he got into it with Game, people were skeptical, some people still think it was all a publicity stunt.
Regardless, 50 is a unique artist. There wont be another story like his for a long time.
A few weeks ago, former Roc-A-Fella member Beanie Sigel released a diss song titled “What You Talkin Bout (I’m Not Your Average Cat),” aimed at then labelhead and friend Jay-Z. Now, the Philadelphia-raised rapper gives Billboard.com readers an exclusive snippet of his upcoming track, “I Go Off,” featuring his rumored soon-to-be boss, 50 Cent.
“I’ll give you something to talk about / come around me fronting, I’ll air you out / I go off,” 50 harmonizes at the beginning of the song atop a drum-heavy, winded production. “I don’t shoot sh*t off, dog, I gun it down / walk up on n*ggas and run them down / pull a stock out the K, throw a hundred rounds,” Beanie rhymes with conviction.
The eight bars conclude with the Broad Street Bully menacing, “Won’t stop ’til your box lowered to the ground / put you in a urn, your bones are burn / The rap gorilla, the wack rap ringtone killa, I’m here / to find a n*gga equally realer is rare / you could meet me in the square if you dare to come near / I have no morals.”
The song — which will be released in its entirety on Friday (Nov. 13) on 50 Cent’s blog site, thisis50.com — is the first track from Beanie’s as-yet-untitled upcoming album. Although G-Unit reps were mum about whether Beanie would be signing to or releasing the project on G-Unit, they did hint at an announcement in relation to the deal being made in coming days.
On Oct. 30, Beanie Sigel’s “What You Talkin Bout (I’m Not Your Average Cat)” leaked to the internet. The track finds him revealing scathing lyrics about his split from Roc-A-Fella Records.
“I’m A Grown Ass Man, I don’t sit on n*ggas laps / I ain’t looking for no gifts out of Santa Claus’ sack,” Beans rhymes on the track, in response to Jay’s line on “What We Talkin’ About” off his latest “Blueprint 3″ album.
He goes on to rap about Jay-Z calling “the police on me, ’cause I was front row at the ‘Blueprint 3′,” and not visiting him while he served his “year and a day when you ain’t come to see me,” among other accusations. “How it feel to get exposed? Don’t you feel naked? / I was a fly on the wall, sh*t I witnessed / I can say sh*t that make B look at you different,” he continues, referencing Jay-Z’s famous wife Beyonce.
The same day he released the track, Beanie Sigel went on Philadelphia radio station 100.3 and spoke about his disappointments about Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella, giving kudos to 50 Cent for handling his label in what he deemed a fairer manner. A few days later, Beanie made a guest appearance on Philadelphia’s Power 99 along with 50 Cent, further fueling the speculation that he would actually be signing to the label this time around. During the interview, 50 Cent stated that he offered Beanie $800,000 to join G-Unit upon his release from prison, but that Jay blocked the deal from materializing.
Beanie Sigelsays he’s still not getting the reply fromJay-Zthat he wants. On Tuesday, the Broad Street Bully appeared on Philadelphia radio station Power 99 as a surprise guest during50 Cent’s interview. The two hinted that Beanie and the G-Unit would be aligning sometime in the future. More overt, however, was the suggestion that Beans would be calling Jay out in public more often.
“He is a crumb. I’m gonna put my foot on his neck until he responds,” Beans said as the segment came to a wrap. Beans added that he’s ready for a lyrical tangle with his once-close clique member and that he would relish a retort from Jiggaman for the“What You Talkin About (Average Cat)”song.
“Please make a record,” Beans yelled on-air. “A week’s been out, dog. I’m not taking nothing from Jay as an artist. He ain’t no walk in the park as an artist. All I’m saying is I don’t gotta jog to keep up to him.”
During the interview, Beanie also addressedJay’s recent commentsthat he did a lot for Sigel, who Jay noted had a record deal and a record label and drove two Bentleys at one point. Sigel said that the label and the cars were earned and that Jay didn’t give him anything.
“I think he has good intentions, Jay, but he’s using a traditional business corporate model,” 50 said calmly. “I think the only place he really went wrong was when he said ‘La Familia,’ like ‘we family.’ “
50 added that a few years back, he wanted to offer Beanie at least $800,000 to come to the G-Unit upon his release from prison but that Jay had blocked the deal.
“I said it makes sense right now, I could sell this right now, I could get him out and go right away with the actual music,” 50 recalled about the deal that never materialized.
Few emcees have entered the game with as much buzz as 50 Cent and Eminem. Now, both big dogs are struggling to stay relevant in a cultural landscape shaped by the Web. Do 50 Cent and Eminem still have what it takes to rock the mic right? How do Eminem’s new video for “Beautiful” and 50 Cent’s new video for “Ok You’re Right” stack up against their earlier work? Air out your thoughts and opinions in the comments. Watch both new videos and leave your mark
