50 Cent almost got cut from the epic 2022 Super Bowl halftime show.
The rapper, 49, claimed that Jay-Z’s entertainment company, Roc Nation, tried to keep him out of the star-studded hip-hip mashup that also included Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre and Mary J. Blige.
“They wanted to leave me out of it. They didn’t want me there,” 50 Cent told the Hollywood Reporter in an interview published Wednesday.
“Roc Nation. Yeah, they didn’t want me there,” he said. “Eminem wouldn’t do it without me. That’s how I ended up on the show because he was not coming if I didn’t do it. When that happens, you go, ‘Damn, so you just lost Eminem because you didn’t bring 50? Damn. All right. Bring 50 then.’ But if it was up to them, they would not have me there. I’m the surprise. I’m not on the bill at all. But they couldn’t get Em to do it without me.”
Although 50 never directly blamed Hov, it’s worth noting that he and the Roc Nation boss have had a complicated history. It’s unclear what exactly ignited the beef, but the two have been exchanging shots as far back as 1999.It began with 50 throwing shade at multiple rappers, including Jay Z, in his track “How To Rob.”
“What, Jigga just sold, like four milli? He got something to live for/ Don’t want a [expletive] putting four through that Bentley Coupe door”
Jay-Z responded to the diss in “It’s Hot (Some Like It Hot)”:
“Go against Jigga yo a*s is dense/ I’m about a dollar- what the f**k is 50 cents?”
The two have had their differences in their feud throughout the years, with them occasionally supporting each other.
50 Cent also was asked for his thoughts on the Grammy Awards.
‘I don’t care about them. They don’t mean anything. It’s an acknowledgment of the success of the project, and the excitement is to be in the room with your peers. Other than that, what is the acknowledgment? It doesn’t mean anything. I haven’t even seen anyone in a bad financial space where they would sell their Grammys. Then it would mean something that you received this award. It has zero value,’ he said.
50 then proceeded to share that he does not vote during the Grammys while also taking a shot at Beyoncé.
“I don’t know who’s voting in that s***. It’s crazy. Whoever they are, they’re off at Beyoncé’s house because she has 30 of them,” he said of the star who has 32 Grammys.
Snoop Dogg revealed in 2022 that Jay-Z threatened to end his partnership with the NFL unless they allowed Dr. Dre to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. He added that the Roc Nation boss faced many challenges in getting Dre, Snoop, Eminem, Blige, and Lamar to perform at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
The Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show averaged 103.4 million viewers.