Ja Rule recently opened up about one of Hip-Hop’s most infamous feuds, expressing his belief that the heated rivalry between himself and 50 Cent during the late ’90s and early ’00s created a divide that ultimately negatively impacted the New York Hip-Hop scene.
Appearing on Carmelo Anthony’s 7PM in Brooklyn With Carmelo Anthony podcast, the Queens native reflected on how their animosity—once the center of rap’s most polarizing drama—did more harm than good for the culture that raised them.
“Look at Kendrick and Drake,” Ja said, referencing the various fallouts behind the two rap titans’ fiery battle. “Nothing good is coming out of any of these things.”
Ja Rule attends the 2023 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards at LIV Nightclub at Fontainebleau Miami on September 06, 2023 in Miami Beach, Florida.
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Drawing a direct comparison between today’s lyrical wars and his own with 50 Cent, Ja reflected on how their feud fractured the unity that once defined New York’s rap landscape. “Me and 50’s sh*t, that sh*t f**ked up New York Hip-Hop. It really did because it separated a lot of ni**as in New York.”
Ja’s honesty painted a picture of a man looking back on his legacy with both pride and perspective. Though acknowledging the damage their feud caused, he didn’t shy away from his competitive nature. “I feel like I was the better rapper,” Ja said.
“I felt like I made the better records. I feel like my records aged better, still. So, that’s how I feel inside. I don’t know how everybody else feels.”
Ja Rule speaks onstage at the “Biography: Bobby Brown” And “Origins Of Hip Hop” NYC premiere event on May 17, 2022 in New York City.
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Yet even amid self-assurance, Rule extended a nod of respect to his longtime rival. “At the end of the day, you’ve gotta kinda love both or you gotta kinda respect both,” the “Always on Time” rapper said of himself and 50.
“You don’t gotta love both, but you gotta respect both. You gotta appreciate both, and that’s just what it is. Even in rap competitions and battles and beefs and sh*t like that, I have a very different take on it than everybody does. He has a take on it that was his take.”
50 Cent attends the “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” New York Premiere at Hammerstein Ballroom on July 15, 2021 in New York City.
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The rivalry between Ja Rule and 50 Cent was one of the most intense in Hip-Hop history, marked by diss tracks, public confrontations, and even real-life altercations.
Though both men achieved immense success, their battle symbolized a turning point—one that, as Ja now admits, left lasting cracks in the city’s once-unified rap foundation.
Watch Ja Rule’s appearance on the 7PM in Brooklyn With Carmelo Anthony podcast below.
