(Audio) 50 Cent Talks Rap Beefs, Business Deals, and More on Drink Champs
The first half of 50 Cent’s long anticipated sit down with the Drink Champs podcast was released early Friday morning. The hosts, N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN, talked to 50 about issues ranging from the very beginning of his career to his numerous business deals to his often-contentious relationships with other rappers.
N.O.R.E. goes way back with 50, having collaborated with him at the very beginning of Fif’s career. The two Queens rappers discussed those days, including 50’s early-career opening slots for DMX and the Hot Boys (“nobody remembers,” he joked), the ins and outs of street DVDs, and even the derivation of the word “wanksta” — N.O.R.E. claimed he first heard it, before 50’s hit song of that name, from “a crackhead from Queensbridge.” A third Queens rapper, Akinyele, dropped in as a surprise guest as well.
The Drink Champs also discussed 50’s TV show Power, his sneaker deal, and, of course, the numerous beefs that erupted when 50 first burst onto the scene in the early 2000s.
“I didn’t start any of these altercations,” 50 said. “It’s the momentum… There’s nobody that’s going to sit in this seat and not have conflict, not have artists uncomfortable with you being in that seat.”
Speaking of beef, 50 weighed in on the Drake and Meek Mill back-and-forth. Fif said that the fact that Drake’s Grammy nomination for the Meek dis “Back to Back” showed that there was little danger of things getting dangerous.
“When you see them give Drake an award for the record, it means they viewed it as if it was art for the first time,” he explained. “The competitive nature of our culture in hip-hop, they viewed it as art and they honored it, because they didn’t see the threat level in what he was saying. Whenever I’m competing, they think it’s going to spill out on the street.”
Listeners found the show funny and entertaining.
