The feud between rappers Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson and Sean ‘P Diddy’ Combs is long and well-documented – partly in thanks to Jackson’s often amusing antics throughout the years. With the release of the 50 Cent-produced documentary on Diddy, The Reckoning, interest and commentary (again, led by Jackson) on the rift is renewed.
Last week, the ‘Candy Shop’ rapper gave an exclusive interview with ABC News in the U.S. about the new doco and fans were quick to point out that it was a potentially strategic choice.
“50 Cent agreed to do an interview with ABC news station because it’s one of the few stations they’re allowed to watch in prison,” one comment claimed.
Turns out, they were right with 50 Cent commenting on the post to write: “I thought about it – what’s wrong with that?”
However, in the ABC interview, Jackson explained that his actions aren’t because of a “beef” with Diddy, rather exposing his behaviour.
“What they consider pre-existing beef for 20 years is me being uncomfortable with him suggesting that he takes me shopping,” Jackson explained, “It’s not personal.”
“I think it’s important to also let people know that the show is not completely the perspectives of people that did not like Sean,” director Alex Stapleton added, “We weren’t trying to just get the highlights, the salacious details. You know that the real goal was to storytell.”
Since The Reckoning premiered (and well before) Jackson has been sharing a string of humuous memes and posts on his Instagram.
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50 Cent & P Diddy’s Feud, Explained
Early 2000s
In November 2002, 50 Cent and Diddy worked together on a remix of a song by the late The Notorious B.I.G.; during the remix, 50 Cent subtly diss-rapped Diddy.
By 2003, Diddy presented 50 Cent with the “Best Rap Video” award at the MTV Video Music Awards, indicating they were still publicly on good terms at the time. However, 50 Cent later described their relationship as more professional than friendly, saying he never really “partied or hung out” with Diddy.
2005–2006
In August 2005, their beef deepened over business when 50 Cent tried to sign rapper Mase to his G-Unit label after Mase sought to leave Diddy’s label. According to 50 Cent, Diddy made the deal unworkable.
Then in September 2006, 50 Cent released the diss track ‘The Bomb’ (also known as ‘Hip Hop’), in which he insinuated that Diddy had knowledge about The Notorious B.I.G.’s 1997 murder. That marked the moment their rivalry became public and deeply personal.
Image: Getty
Late 2000s–2010s
Despite the diss track, the two sometimes still crossed paths professionally; for instance the 2007 remix, ‘I Get Money’ along with Jay-Z, which saw all three appear at Screamfest months later, together.
Business rivalry became a recurring theme for the duo. Diddy was aligned with Ciroc vodka, while 50 Cent later aligned with rival brand Effen Vodka (from 2016). 50 Cent used this rivalry to continue mocking Diddy’s business ventures and singing voice — arguing, for example, that Ciroc “wasn’t real” vodka.
Even though tensions remained, there were times when the feud seemed to cool. Notably in 2018, after the death of Diddy’s longtime partner Kim Porter, 50 Cent publicly offered condolences — a moment that suggested some degree of respect or at least distance.
In that same year, Diddy publicly downplayed the feud: on a radio show he claimed 50 Cent “loves me,” and invited him to be friends — though many saw it as more public damage control than genuine reconciliation.
2023–2024
In November 2023, when news of a lawsuit from former partner Cassie Ventura against Diddy became public, 50 Cent publicly mocked the settlement and hinted the drama was “just beginning.”
“First, he denied that it even happened, and then the tape comes out — so that means everything that n—- says is a lie,” 50 Cent told The Hollywood Reporter. “When someone watches that, if they have a daughter and they can imagine her being under those circumstances, that s— is crazy. Like, they let him get away with it.”
After Diddy’s arrest in September 2024, 50 Cent announced that he was producing a documentary about Diddy, signalling he wasn’t just trolling, but engaging in a long-term strategy to “expose” Diddy.
Digital Editor
Maddison Hockey
Digital Editor
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