S Poddar
50 Cent continues to use the media to lash out at his arch-nemesis, Diddy. On the The Enthusiast Podcast, where he dished about his rivalry with Diddy, he elaborated on the disastrous circumstances surrounding the embattled music mogul, 49.
Now 54 years old, Diddy apparently has been entangled in some legal messes with some serious charges, like accusations of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation for prostitution. While he was seriously charged by the allegations made against him, he did not plead to any of the accusations.
But 50 Cent was not so easy to persuade. “He did it,” he said, for the third time. “No, he did it. He did it.”.
While discussing the situation throughout the interview, 50 Cent, whose name is really Curtis James Jackson III, repeatedly maintained that he has been vocal about Diddy’s rather suspicious behavior for much longer than this current legal plight. “And I’m the only one who’s been vocal about this long before,” he added, suggesting that many others in the entertainment industry remain silent for whatever and all sorts of reasons.
Another of the disputed issues 50 Cent had was Diddy’s “Freak Off” parties, said to be wild and debaucherous, even wilder and more debauched than those that California brought to national attention in the “Me Decade.” These, of course, are only rumors spread by Diddy’s circle. According to 50 Cent, this might be a reason for Diddy’s silence.
“But I also didn’t participate,” 50 Cent emphasized, establishing that he had nothing to do with those situations. He feels that is the reason he’s been able to speak out, whereas so many others in the business remain mum. “So a lot of the celebrity culture that you don’t hear saying anything is because they participated to a degree,” he said.
His are bold claims, though hardly shocking. 50 Cent’s never been shy, and certainly not when it’s come to his ongoing feud with Diddy. The sparring between the two has dragged on for years, cropping up occasionally in interviews, on social media, and through veiled references (or not-so-veiled swipes). Yet there was something more serious about this conversation, as 50 Cent spoke directly to the legal reality that Diddy is now in.
What leaps out is 50 Cent’s assertion that most of his celebrity peers share some degree of culpability in Diddy’s actions. His words contain a deep-seated frustration with an entertainment culture, in his eyes, which tolerates the wrong when it was expedient to do so.
The history between these two heavyweights in the rap and entertainment world has always been complicated. They have both gotten to do enormous things-success beyond measure, building empires that span music, television, fashion, etc.-and despite their achievements, the personal and professional tension just goes on growing.
Diddy, or Sean Combs, was the music industry’s most all-powerful man. In the 1990s and 2000s, he defined the sound of hip-hop as head of Bad Boy Records. So why things have gone wrong for him lately are a mystery. Turmoil has involved everything from family squabbles and high-end horsepower to the legal and commercial fallout from sexual assaults he’s accused of.
Even as his grip on the business is loosening, Diddy still exerts influence over some quarters of the industry, which could be the only reason nobody batted an eyelash at the man’s moves. Not so for 50 Cent, who has had words for Diddy at their own different junctures in the battles between them.
This would be the latest in their long saga, probably not the last. As Diddy continues his legal fights, who knows what further information that might come to light might vindicate or undermine 50 Cent and others claims.
But for now, one thing is clear: 50 Cent isn’t giving up. Not now that he’s been bold enough to run his mouth about Diddy, even when others have been silent. This isn’t the typical where-there’s-hush-money-there’s-a-wall, but some act of loyalty and silence is often the rule in an industry and a friendship as prominent as this one. Whether this translates to more celebrities speaking up or sparks a greater discussion around what Diddy did remains to be seen.
