50 Cent talks Ja Rule beef, Summer Jam performance, Nas, and more with Big Boy’s Neighborhood [VIDEO]
50 Cent Talks to Big Boy About Ja Rule, Summer Jam, and Getting Shot
The rivalry between 50 Cent and Ja Rule is one of hip-hop’s most enduring feuds. It has spanned more than a decade, survived prison sentences and near-death experiences, and shows no signs of ending. In a recent interview with Big Boy’s Neighborhood on Power 106 Los Angeles, 50 Cent addressed the current state of the beef, his Summer Jam performance, and the lasting physical reminder of being shot nine times.
The interview finds 50 Cent in a reflective but unapologetic mood. He dismisses Ja Rule’s relevance, explains why he performed “I Smell Pussy” at Summer Jam, and recounts a plane encounter designed to make his rival uncomfortable. The conversation also touches on his relationship with Nas and the permanent scars—both physical and emotional—that the feud has left behind.
Summer Jam and the Return of “I Smell Pussy”
In the beginning of the clip, Big Boy mentioned 50 Cent’s performance at Hot 97’s Summer Jam on June 1, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. During his set, 50 Cent reunited G-Unit onstage and performed the 2003 track “I Smell Pussy,” a song whose intro features repeated declarations aimed at members of the Murder Inc. roster, including Ja Rule. The performance, more than a decade after the track’s original release, prompted Twitter responses from Ja Rule in the days following the show.
Big Boy said that Ja Rule began tweeting after the performance, questioning whether the moment was directed at him. He also brings up the plane encounter last November, where the two rappers were reportedly seated in the same row. 50 Cent acknowledges the flight but downplays its significance. He says he knew Ja Rule was on the plane before he boarded and deliberately made him uncomfortable by getting up and moving around.
When Big Boy presses on why the song remains in his setlist, 50 Cent explains that music “marks time.” Performing the track transports listeners back to the period when it was special to them. He notes that the crowd at Summer Jam was massive—estimating around 80,000 people—and that the stage turned into a “park jam” that no longer even felt like the Summer Jam show.
The Plane Encounter: “Just Making Him Uncomfortable”
The conversation shifts to the November 2013 flight where 50 Cent and Ja Rule were on the same plane. Big Boy asks whether the two exchanged any words. 50 Cent says no. He knew Ja Rule was already on the plane before he boarded. They both sat in first class; Ja Rule was on the other side by the window. 50 Cent sat down and then kept getting up and moving around.
When Big Boy asks if anything happened, 50 Cent clarifies that nothing did. The actions were solely “just making him uncomfortable” because he knew Ja Rule was essentially by himself. Big Boy reacts by calling 50 Cent “horrible” and asks whether he’s being a bully. 50 Cent rejects the characterization. After that, he asserts that he is the victim. He explains that “nobody hears all they hear is the shot they don’t see the person get slapped before it gets to that point.”
Big Boy asks whether 50 Cent ever sees a future where he and Ja Rule appear in photographs together. 50 Cent answers flatly: “That won’t happen.” He explains that some things don’t simply go away, comparing the residual tension to the sensation that arises “when the weather get ready to change and I can feel it it reminds me that I should have a problem.”
A Dimple That Wasn’t Born, It Was Shot
The interview takes a more personal turn when Big Boy acknowledges the shooting. 50 Cent references his physical appearance: “I wasn’t born with dimples I got a dimple now shot in my face.” He notes that one side of his face is fine and the other is not. “This way is fine and this way you’re dead,” he says. “You got to see it as it is.”
Big Boy asks whether people who don’t know the history ever compliment him on his smile. 50 Cent responds by referencing his smile and then states, “I got shot nine times.” The moment is a stark reminder of the violence that has shaped his life and career. On May 24, 2000, 50 Cent was shot nine times in Queens. The incident left permanent scars, including a dimple on one side of his face that he references in the interview.
While the shooting was not attributed to Ja Rule personally, it occurred within the same network of neighborhood and industry tensions that fueled the recorded and public hostilities. The mention of the shooting underscores the depth of the animosity and the stakes involved in the rivalry.
The Origins of a Decades-Long War
The public conflict between 50 Cent and Ja Rule began in the late 1990s. Accounts from that period describe an initial dispute linked to a chain-snatching incident involving associates, followed by 50 Cent’s recording of the diss track “Your Life’s On The Line.” After that, physical confrontations, additional diss records from both sides, and the overall rivalry between G-Unit and Murder Inc. defined much of the early-2000s East Coast hip-hop landscape.
By the mid-2000s, 50 Cent’s commercial dominance and the sustained campaign of disses contributed to a sharp decline in Ja Rule’s visibility and sales. Ja Rule later served a federal prison sentence related to tax issues and was released last year. This past November, the two men found themselves on the same commercial flight and, according to Ja Rule, seated in the same row. Ja Rule described the encounter as uneventful. He went onto characterize it as “grown man shit.”
The Big Boy interview revisits that flight from 50 Cent’s perspective. He described deliberate non-verbal actions intended to create discomfort rather than any verbal exchange or physical altercation. The rivalry, it seems, is far from over.
Animal Ambition and Other Projects
The interview occurs against the backdrop of 50 Cent’s ongoing career activities. His album Animal Ambition was released earlier this month. He continues to work with G-Unit, pursue acting roles as his series “Power” premiered earlier this month, and expand his business ventures. The interview is part of a promotional push for his album. However, it also serves as a reminder of the feuds that have defined his career.
Music from the earlier period continues to function, in 50 Cent’s stated view, as a temporal marker. As 50 said, he feels it recreates the emotional and social atmosphere of its original moment for listeners. The Summer Jam performance of “I Smell Pussy” was a deliberate choice to evoke that era and remind audiences of the rivalry’s history.
Now, the rivalry continues. 50 Cent is promoting Animal Ambition, G-Unit is active, and the scars—both physical and emotional—remain. The dimple on his face is a constant reminder of the violence that shaped him, and the feud that refuses to die.
Conclusion
The Animal Ambition tour is underway, and 50 Cent is back on the road with G-Unit. But the Ja Rule chapter of his story isn’t closing anytime soon. The Summer Jam performance was a reminder that some rivalries don’t fade—they just wait for the right moment to resurface. And with Ja Rule out of prison and attempting a comeback, the timing couldn’t be more convenient for both sides.
For now, 50 Cent is focused on his own comeback. Animal Ambition is out, G-Unit is back on stage, and the dimple on his face is a daily reminder of everything he’s survived. The past is still present, but the future is what he’s building. And as long as Ja Rule is in the picture, the beef will never truly be over.