Michael Jackson Allegedly Tried To Get These Two Rappers To Squash Their Beef
There are a few legendary feuds between hip hop artists that will one day be written about in pop culture history books. Jay-Z and Nas famously battled it out over Nas’ baby mama, 2Pac accused The Notorious B.I.G. of setting him up to be robbed and Remy Ma and Nicki Minaj have been throwing shade towards one another for years. Normally, things are squashed over time. But the one beef that still remains is The Game and 50 Cent. Things got so bad between the two that Michael Jackson once tried to intervene.
A look back at the beef between The Game and 50 Cent
Game and 50 met through producer, Dr. Dre. Ahead of Game’s debut album The Documentary, he was was placed in 50’s crew G Unit as a way to promote his project. The Documentary featured three collaborations between Game and 50.
They appeared to be close friends, touring together and doing joint interviews to promote their albums. The first sign of tension came after the release date of 50’s sophomore album, The Massacre, was pushed back in to accommodate Game’s debut release. The move caused a rift between 50 and Dre before transferring to 50 and Game.
Things came to a head at the video shoot for Game’s video “Hate It Or Love It.” It’s said that 50 refused to sit in the front seat of a car next to Game, and instead took a back seat in the back. A few months later, 50 publicly dropped Game from G-Unit during a radio interview with Hot 97. Later that evening, there was a shooting at the radio station and most believed Game was the culprit and was reported by MTV News.
They reconciled for a brief moment but it didn’t last. They fell out again after members of G-Unit questioned Game’s street credibility. Game apologized later to 50 and G-Unit, but they didn’t accept. Since then, over 100 diss tracks have been released between the two.
The Game recalls Michael Jackson telling him to squash his beef with 50 Cent
The beef between the two former label mates and friends was so intense that many felt it would end in violence. Industry insiders tried their best to mediate, including Michael Jackson.
In an interview with Hip Hop DX, the rapper spoke about a phone call he had with the King of Pop. A lifelong fan, he was agitated when he discovered that Jackson wanted to discuss Game’s ongoing battle with 50.
“That was weird as f*ck,” he said. “It’s like, this ain’t how I wanna meet Michael Jackson or talk to Michael Jackson.”
Still, he agreed to have the conversation. During the call, Jackson proposed that if the beef was squashed, he’d work with both of them. “I think that you and 50 did great work,” he allegedly told Game. “It would be a travesty if the world never got to hear you guys again. Would you be open to having a conversation and squashing that beef and doing something for my album?’”
Game wasn’t open to the idea of putting his issues with 50 to rest. Though he didn’t tell Jackson no outright, they never came together as he wished. He did, however, pay tribute to Jackson following his death. He teamed up with Chris Brown for a collaboration titled “Better on the Other Side,” which spoke about Jackson’s impact on music.
Game doesn’t regret not squashing his beef with 50 at the request of Jackson. Though he was caught off guard by his request, he has fond memories of the conversation, including Jackson rapping the lyrics to one of Game’s hit songs!
