Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Marshall “Eminem” Mathers are two of the most commercially successful rap superstars of all time. According to Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, his mentor’s legacy is greater than Jay-Z’s.
50 Cent rose to prominence two decades ago as a musical protégé of Eminem. The G-Unit leader also has a long-standing competitive rivalry with Jay-Z that dates back to the 1990s.
So it comes as no surprise that 50 Cent would back Eminem in a debate over Em’s cultural significance versus Jay-Z’s cultural significance. Former NBA player Jamal Crawford sparked that Slim Shady/Hov discussion.
Jamal Crawford Makes His Case For Jay-Z Over Eminem
“You can’t change the game and say, ‘This guy has more points, he’s better.’ It’s beyond that. Jay-Z’s effect on Hip Hop is bigger than any album sales Eminem will have. That’s just how it goes,” argued Crawford on Shaquille O’Neal’s The Big Podcast.
The Hip-Hop Wolf Instagram account reposted Jamal Crawford’s comments about Jay-Z and Eminem on the social media platform. In response, 50 Cent jumped into Hip-Hop Wolf’s IG comment section to respond, “Ha b####### 🤧.”
The 50 Cent/Jay-Z Rivalry Started Over A LightHearted Diss Track
50 Cent took aim at Jay-Z, and many other rappers, on his classic street record “How to Rob” which dropped in 1999. Jay fired back at 50 on “It’s Hot (Some Like It Hot)” from the Brooklynite’s Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter album that same year.
The last twenty-four years have seen 50 Cent repeatedly throw shots at Jay-Z for various reasons. For example, in April 2022, the Queens native said Jay looks like a “gay painter” over speculation that the Roc Nation boss tried to block 50 from performing at Super Bowl LVI.
Jay-Z and Eminem worked together on the “Renegade” track which lives on Jay’s 2001 masterpiece The Blueprint studio LP. Both emcees/moguls also teamed up for the two-city The Home & Home stadium tour in 2010.