For more than 25 years, Ja Rule and 50 Cent have kept their headline-grabbing feud alive, taking jabs at each other on social media while both continued to thrive as artists and entrepreneurs.
During his chat with Carmelo Anthony and Kazeem Famuyide on the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, Ja argued that despite their long-standing beef, both he and 50 deserve recognition from fans—while also asserting that he’s the stronger rapper.
“But you don’t though,” Ja replied when told that fans often feel they must choose between the two. “I know that’s how fans see it, but you really don’t. At the end of the day, you gotta kinda love both or at least respect both. You don’t have to love both, but you should appreciate both—and that’s just what it is. Even in rap battles or beefs, I’ve always had a different perspective on it than most people. … He’s got his own way of looking at it.”
Ja admitted that his take might not be the most popular opinion before breaking down his thoughts.
“I feel like I was the better rapper,” he said. “I felt like I made better records. I think my songs have aged better, even now. That’s just how I feel inside—I don’t know how everyone else feels.”
In the same 7PM in Brooklyn interview, released Nov. 10, the 49-year-old “Mama” rapper claimed that “one is an imitation of the other in a lot of ways,” pointing out how he paved the way for the early 2000s duet trend. Ja noted that while 50 once mocked him for singing on tracks, he eventually did the same.
When asked about the chance of ever collaborating with 50, Ja quickly shut it down.
“We’ve never done a record together,” he said. “We’ve never been friends, so I don’t know why people wanna see that.”
The conversation also touched on the newer Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar feud, with Ja reflecting on how he’s learned to approach rivalries differently—by letting go of the hate.
“That’s why I don’t sit here promoting negativity between me and 50,” he explained. “I don’t care about that anymore. I wish that Black man luck. Go do you, man. Get your money. But do right, do better. Because all he does is tear other Black people down.”
