It’s not a real day in hip-hop if there isn’t a little friendly fire, and this time, 50 Cent and Busta Rhymes are the ones trading jabs at each other.
In a classic case of rappers roasting each other for fun, 50 recently took to social media to poke fun at a resurfaced video of the “Break Ya Neck” rapper’s hairline, teasing the veteran rapper for turning to permanent hair dye to assist with keeping his Caesar looking sharp and fresh.
The video was from the summer where the former Leader of the New School artist was sampling food from chef Remone Williams. While the spread looked delicious, many people were distracted by his unusually black and shiny hair.
(Photos: @50cent/Instagram; Busta Rhymes by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
50 posted an excerpt of the video with the caption, “Nah why crazy sh-t be happening and [ninjas emoji]’s don’t say nothing. I think @fatjoe, Khaled, and Tyson need to intervene here. Lol WTF.”
The second slide in his post featured an image of Joe, Khaled, and male model and actor Tyson Beckford on the cover of boxes for Rewind It hair and beard color for men.
But he did not stop there. The internet troll king provided more commentary over the video to add his own “power” level of comedy to the shade.
“You out of line, Yo. How the n—ga Busta paint his whole head like that,” he asked. “That n—ga Spliff Star, you trying to act like you Busta friend… How the f—k you let him go outside looking like that, yo?”
“Nah,” he giggled. “Nah, son.”
“What the f—k is going on here?” he continued. “Nah, man. F—k that? Why I always got to be the one to say something, man?”
Within two hours, the video garnered over 70,000 likes, with people cracking up at the Native Tongue affiliate’s expense. One person even joked, saying that the Dungeon Dragon “Look[s] like the mini Jermaine Jackson.”
Someone else joked in the comments, “What is that a sharpie line up and fill in? Is this what rich rappers is doing now?”
Celebrities like Swizz Beatz, Babs Bunny, Peter Gunz, Vin Rock from Naughty by Nature, Waka Flocka, and more all flooded the comment section, cracking up at their peer.
When The Neighborhood Talk posted 50 Cent’s hilarious joke, their 1.9 million followers chimed in.
“Dripmode Squad,” a fan joked. Someone else wrote, “Shoe polish at its finest,” referencing the dark dye.
A third comment said, “Not too much on the Legend…. but who really approved this! Somebody better call Spliff Star!!!!! We got questions!” Another came to the rapper’s defense, “Leave Busta Rhymes alone.”
But Busta is not like the other people that 50 taunts online. He’s from Brooklyn, and he, too, knows how to snap, too, and has some ammunition of his own.
While the “In Da Club” rapper’s signature mix of humor and side-eye was just enough to make his fans crack up in the comments, it also got a response from the “Arab Money” chart-topper himself.
Known for his larger-than-life personality and quick wit, Busta clapped back quickly, delivering a few choice words and his own post to remind the “BMF” show creator that his jokes weren’t about to go unanswered.
He found a dated picture of 50 Cent from 2011, when he was openly rocking an S-Curl on red carpets during the promotion of his film, “Freelancers.”
The 12-time Grammy nominated artist wrote on his Instagram page, “WHEN YOU GOT THIS TYPE A CRAZY SH-T GOIN FOR NOBODY IS SAYING NOTHING?? WHAT TYPE ADVISORS YOU LISTENING TO BRUH??? WHAT THE F-CK IN A 100 JARS OF TCB GEL TYPE SH-T IS THIS MY N-GGA?? @50cent C’MON MAN!! BY THE WAY FIF, THIS SH-T LOOK LIKE YA JERRY CURL STINK TOO BRUDDAH!!”
Fans were equally amused.
“Damn Busta said Nxgga I’m petty too,” one person stated, as radio host Ebro wrote, “Someone said ‘Cincuenta Centavo’!!! And I can’t breathe.”
Others then posted GIFs that said, “Just Let Your Soul Glow,” from the legendary skit about Jheri curls in the movie “Coming to America.”
The playful banter gave fans an entertaining look at the lighthearted rivalry between two legends who’ve known each other for decades.
50 Cent tells Busta Rhymes his chain is too big pic.twitter.com/1e77NM609d
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) August 17, 2023
Early in their careers, 50 Cent and Busta Rhymes were both managed by Chris Lighty, Violator Management, a tight knight entertainment company responsible for the success of artists like Mobb Deep, Missy Elliott, and LL Cool J.
The management company dissolved after Lighty’s death in 2012, a tragic occurrence that rocked the hip-hop world and was labeled death by suicide, though many have doubted that was the case.
It’s the kind of rap beef that isn’t really beef at all – just two icons keeping it real while giving their followers something to laugh about.