Heavyweights 50 Cent and Rick Ross had beef in 2009 that will go on the books of Hip-Hop forever. From tossing insults back and forth over airwaves; to Fifty taking the mother of Ross’ child on a shopping spree in exchange for public malicious comments towards Ross, the quarrel kept the attention of Hip-Hop for a few strong months.
However Ross has taken the initiative to put an end to it for once and for all, he reflects on his dealings with Fifty, and realizes that he has added to the unnecessary contamination in the rap game.
When speaking to MTV about his opinion of the past and his plans for the future, he said:
“That’s the beauty of the art; you can take it and channel it any way you want to. Of course, I realize I put a lot of pollution out there as well that I wouldn’t this year. That was a part of me learning. I’ll forever be attracted to some form or fashion of war. I feel it’s competitive but at the same time, I’m focused on my numbers. I’m focused on my business. I’m focused on my brand. I wanna see other things blossom around me, versus back-and-forth with nothing. For the most part, I feel when you prioritize your business, that’s the result – that’s the advice I’ve been given for so long. I’m trying it out.”
Fifty recently addressed the issue as well, he told Los Angeles Times:
“I never had a conversation with him [Rick Ross]. My focus shifted during that record. A lot of times, earlier in my career, I was competing with artists because that was what I loved about hip-hop; The idea that battling someone was necessary to defend your spot and you had to take on all challengers — so I did that constantly. No one thinks that way now and everyone looks at me like I’m the Broad Street Bully. The younger kids coming up missed that time frame, and even the conscious rap is gone too. The stuff that Common Sense and Talib Kweli and Mos Def were rhyming about. What was socially conscious and responsible about the music has been replaced by hipster kids in skinny jeans and mohawks. Of course, that’s always been around, but it was usually confined to the Village. Artists have always had the opportunity to influence the culture, but now it’s the other way around: They’re trying to look like their audience to attract their audience. Now you can’t tell the difference between a Led Zeppelin fan and a hip-hop fan.”
Nevertheless, the two have not taken the disagreement any further and it has initially died down. 50 will continue to make career moves while Ross will switch lanes and focus on business ventures that will enhance his dividends and level of success.