Ashanti, on VladTV, recalls her Murder Inc. vs. G-Unit beef with 50 Cent.
The beef between Ashanti and 50 Cent started in the early 2000s, around 2002–2005, during 50 Cent’s high-profile feud with Murder Inc., the label Ashanti was signed to.
Although she never really went diss-for-diss with 50 Cent at the time, 50 Cent had a beef with Murder Inc. and its CEO, Irv Gotti, alongside its biggest rapper, Ja Rule. That escalated most times and led to physical confrontations and diss tracks.
But since Ashanti was one of the biggest stars on the label, she became a target by association. 50 Cent often discredited her art, stating she was mid and just a backing vocalist to the label and its artists in his disses and interviews. This was his way of getting back at Murder Inc., which he was trying to bring down at the time.
In the interview on VladTV, Ashanti explained that 50 Cent succeeded in swaying public opinion at the time, making it difficult for fans to appreciate their value and all the work they were putting out. She said:
“Once the hate was coming in and everyone saw the beef with 50, it was like everyone—you know, people become fickle, and they start swapping sides. So regardless of how fire a record may be, if the fans are not into you at the moment, they’re not gonna buy into your brand. They’re not gonna buy into your music, you know what I mean?
And it’s like a fad. It’s crazy, you know, and that—hey, that karma don’t play, as we see.
You know what I mean? Like, it happens to everyone.
So, I feel like, for me personally, I’ve always tried my best to put out quality music—music that makes sense for me.
Like, staying in my lane and doing things that, you know, that’s—that’s an Ashanti record, you know?”
When asked if she had run into 50 Cent any time after that, she admitted to a few encounters, about three.
“We ran into each other a few times.
I’ll never forget—we did, um, a show at 106 & Park, and it was—
I don’t know why BET would schedule us on the same day to perform.
So, it was Murder Inc. and G-Unit, and it was like 30 of us and 30 of them.
And we were so busy trying to avoid each other, like, you know?
We had our escorts and security, and they had their escorts and security.
I guess we were both trying to go the back way to avoid each other and ended up in the same spot backstage.
And that was one of the most tense moments.
I was just like, ‘Oh my gosh, what’s gonna happen?'”
Although no physical altercation happened, there was some tension. But when they completely squashed their beef was during a night out at the VMAs in Vegas, where 50 Cent told Ashanti’s attorney that he no longer harbored any grudge or beef with her. The attorney, in turn, told Ashanti, but she never knew how to react, as it came off strange—especially coming from 50 Cent, who has an ego like that.
“He tapped my attorney and was like, ‘Yo, tell Ashanti there’s nothing personal. There’s no beef, you know. I respect her. I respect her music, and you know, this has nothing to do with her.’
You know what I mean?” And he told me, and I was like—I didn’t know what to say.
You know, we didn’t directly have that conversation. He said it to my attorney. My attorney said it to me. Obviously, he didn’t know that was my attorney.
But it was like, ‘Okay.'”
But then, Nelly, whom Ashanti was in a romantic relationship with at the time, made 50 Cent apologize to the singer directly during a Tommy Lee and Kid Rock fight in Las Vegas.
“It was the VMAs in Vegas, and I think this was like—
Oh—
Six, seven, somewhere around whatever time—
Oh, it was the one that, um—
Oh gosh, was Pamela Anderson’s guy—
Tommy Lee and Kid Rock had the fight—
Because I was sitting right behind, uh—
Kid Rock, when he cocked his fist back, he—
Almost hit me with his rhinestones in—
His jacket, but it was that time, and—
Nelly—
Made 50 apologize to me in front of the—
Entire audience—
It was—it was really—it was funny, and—
And at that time, it was like, ‘Okay, cool.’
He said, ‘Ashanti, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.’
And I was like, ‘All right, I’m sorry.’
And everybody started laughing.”
