There are some feuds that are merely too far gone to simmer, no matter how much time may come to pass. 50 Cent'southward longstanding state of war with Ja Dominion, Irv Gotti, and the Murder Inc conglomerate is ane of them. Even twenty-years removed from the starting time stone cast, the animosity between Curtis Jackson and Jeffery Atkins has not dulled in the slightest. Every bit recently as last Fri, 50 was caught having a ruthless laugh at his former pal'southward misfortune. In Detroit, stalwart G-Unit ally Eminem was decorated sending a few love taps in Ja's management by way of Conway's "Bang." For a brief moment, the stars aligned and 2019 became 2003. All of this to the delight of heart-aged fans, many of whom still look back fondly on the long and bloody war betwixt Shady Records, G-Unit, and Murder Inc.But how can such reckless detest come to manifest in the get-go place?

THE CHAIN SNATCHING INCIDENT OF 99'

In truth, the consummate narrative is rather complex, fabricated up of various testimonials, hearsay, and threats exchanged on wax. For the well-nigh office, however, all lines trace back to a young 50 Cent, circa 1999. At this signal, Fif was even so looking to brand a dent in the game. By his own admission , established producer Irv Gotti (DMX, Jay-Z) was among those to turn down his debut album, citing a resemblance to the Jigga Man. Perhaps their fates were destined to intertwine. In whatever case, Fif continued to grind, making waves on the mixtape circuit with songs like the notorious "How To Rob." As ane-fourth dimension 50 Cent associate Chaz Williams (who passed away earlier this month) explains, tensions originally sparked on the ready of a music video, rise New York rapper Ja Rule's "Murda 4 Life," which left 50 feelings snubbed by Ja'due south quick and flippant dismissal.

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Meanwhile, Ja Rule'due south Veni Vidi Vici, led by the breakout single "Holla Holla," was quickly establishing Rule as one to spotter in the industry. Having already collaborated with both Jay-Z and DMX, Rule made for a key periphery player in the pantheon of local talent. Unfortunately, that didn't terminate Ja from finding himself on the receiving cease of a chain-snatching, a tale he went on to share with Vlad Television in 2014. Apparently, Ja was lured down the block by an old Southside acquaintance, who was nether the impression that Rule fabricated him a cuckold during a prison bid. Despite Rule's denial, the human being still opted to seize the concatenation as a consolation prize. "He was like, emotionally torn," explains Ja. "He had the shaky easily, he was in a lover'due south triangle quarrel type situation. It had nothing to do with music."

Naturally, Ja wasn't about to let the activeness become unpunished, and assembled his crew to mobilize. Before the situation could escalate, Dominion reached out to a common party, the large homie Supreme, who ultimately facilitated the prophylactic render of the chain. "I gauge the story got back in the hood, about what happened," pondered Ja. "And then 50 used that as his in to have something to say about me." fifty found himself taking his animosity out in the booth, sending "Life's On The Line" in Ja and Irv'south direction on October 12th 1999 (go on in heed it was probable recorded prior). On the archetype track, Fif clowned on Ja's signature "Murda" battle cry and opened the floor for boldness in a public setting. Nonetheless the truthful shots stem from an unreleased version of the track, where Fif calls Ja out by name, straight alluding to the aforementioned chain-snatching incident - right downwards to Preme's involvement:

Jigga stay away from Ja earlier he become on some bullshit
Talk to constabulary on that Sammy the Bull shit
Yous pussy Ja, why you get juxed in your own hood?
Why n***as who robbed you walk around like it's all good?
Why y'all ran to Preme to become your shit back?
Why you won't approach me, cause you lot know I'll push your shit back

ATLANTA FISTICUFFS

It's unclear what prompted the antagonism toward Ja, possibly it stemmed from Irv Gotti's role in declining Fif's original deal. Perhaps information technology was simply jealousy, as Rule was in the midst of a total-blown rise to stardom.  Either style, "Life'southward On The Line" served as the first volley in a longstanding lyrical war. Yet given the fact that 50 does not allude to whatsoever straight interest in Ja's showtime concatenation-snatching, and given that he surely would mention it had he been involved, "Life's On The Line" serves to corroborate Ja'due south own testimony from 2014. And yet, somehow, 50 managed to put his hands on Ja'due south chain at some bespeak. The probable time period would be near the finish of 1999, when the pair constitute themselves throwing easily in Atlanta, but nosotros'll go to that afterward.

Prior to their fateful encounter in the ATL, the dislike betwixt Ja Dominion and l Cent still needed to reach critical mass. In his interview with Vlad, the belatedly Williams recounts the inciting incident, which took place at a massive concert in New York featuring Jay-Z and the unabridged Ruff Ryders squadron. Information technology was at that place where 50 Cent and Ja Rule, already nursing a good for you dislike for one another, crossed paths backstage. He gain to allude to an inciting incident, in which Ja saw fifty continuing "as well close to a dude that Ja Rule had a problem with before that. That's what escalated information technology even more, when Ja saw him continuing next to the guy." Every bit it happens, the man in question has been widely understood to be Ja's original chain-snatcher, the Southside acquaintance on the verge of an emotional breakdown. Williams explains that the pair were meant to hash out their differences human to human being, only that wasn't meant to be.

"When we pulled up, Ja was standing outside the hotel, and he had this little Louisville Slugger in his mitt. He was standing there with a lot of Murder. Inc people." Eventually, fifty agreed to see the chat through. "When he went to pull Ja to the side, away from his guys, Ja walked over with the bat in his paw. As they talking, [Ja] may have gestured with the bat equally he's talking. He raised his voice or something. And then 50 swung on him. It got crazy, but we got it squashed. fifty ain't got hurt, there was too many of them trying to become at him. He didn't become a scratch on him." Though many parties remained in line with Williams' business relationship, both Chris Gotti and Black Child had Ja Rule getting a few licks in on Fif, though at this indicate information technology's virtually impossible to discern the truth. What Williams, Black Kid, or Gotti didn't say, however, is that 50 likely emerged from the atmospherics clutching Ja Rule'south chain as a prize.

Consider the following chestnut, unearthed from an interview between Dame Grease and M. Wreck. In the historically-rich prune, which finds Dame Grease reflecting on l sporting Ja's chain during a studio session at The Hit Manufacturing plant. "I was in a studio session, and one of the homies came in," reflects Grease. "He had just banged on another rapper. And he came in smiling, teeth from here to here, and he had his chain on his little kid. His son. He came in similar 'I simply took this n***a shit.' Nas was like 'son, yous crazy!' Actually, that was fifty." Seemingly incapable of comprehending the surreal nature of the run into, M. Wreck attempts to analyze: "50 came in the session with Ja Rule's chain on when you were recording Nas." "Yeah," replies Grease. "I was doing beats and shit. I was like, this due north***a wild." Placing the timeline around the production stages of Nastradamus, which dropped on November 23rd, 1999, it would announced as if Fif's variation of the tale holds weight - at least to some extent. Grease also alludes to a stabbing incident that occurred at some point down the line, although he maintains it was likewise during the Nastradamus time period. Of class, he's referring to The Hit Manufacturing plant incident, which serves every bit the well-nigh straight violent upshot in the timeline.

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THE HIT FACTORY HIT

It's hard to parse together an accurate narrative of what really happened at New York studio The Hit Manufactory, yet many of those actively involved, including 50 Cent and Irv Gotti's brother Chris Gotti, accept since shared their stories. On the surface, information technology seemed driven by retribution for the Atlanta encounter, equally Ja and Murder Inc seemed determined to enact an center for an heart. According to Chris Gotti, who detailed as much on Vlad TV , it started once Ja got give-and-take that Fif was too recording in The Hit Manufactory. "We walked into the studio and Rule was going crazy," says Chris. "Mind you, we take near forty, fifty guys with us. Nosotros had the big room. Rule'south like, he's here." Gotti explains that Dominion, though debilitated past a jet-ski accident, was out for blood. Despite Irv'due south protestations, Ja convinced his producer to stand firm past questioning his loyalty: "are you riding with me?" "All I seen Irv exercise is unbuckle his watch," reflects Chris, sounding like a proud brother.

After a long and hard search, the Murder Inc hit squad eventually plant 50, and a Murder Inc soldier who shall remain nameless reportedly pulled a knife. "A lot of things happened when those lights went off," says Chris. "I got hit with a speaker. 50 threw a speaker." Despite their best efforts, 50 Cent managed to elude the Murder Inc posse, and plant himself crossing paths with a human being who'd go on to play a major role in events moving forward - one Ray Benzino. "Benzino saved 50," says Chris, revealing that The Source founder sent a bloody Fif to the hospital. Today, when you hear Ja and Irv referencing the fourth dimension 50 filed a restraining social club, it'south because of The Striking Factory stabbing.

Of course, 50's version of events strikes a unlike tone. An archival interview with Ability 105 finds fifty recounting his evening at The Hit Manufactory, though his scattershot way of storytelling leaves much open to interpretation.  "My gun was in my jacket" he explains, challenge that he was cutting off by a mix of closed doors and narrow hallways, much to Murder Inc'southward benefit. "Your male child gets stabbed in the breast. The DJ, who at this fourth dimension I ain't got no money, I'g not paying, how am I supposed to control what he does afterward that. He looking at this like it's payday." The implication, of course, being that 50's DJ was the 1 who moved forwards with seeking protective custody, a move that would come to loom over L fifty-fifty today. "The whole situation was bugged out," he continues. "These n***as had my pistol in the other room." Interestingly enough, Fif claims he didn't even need hospitalization, citing a "little scratch." "I went home," he says. "I'grand on the radio hearing I went to the hospital…They always make information technology bigger than it is."