50 Cent revealed he almost missed performing in Dr. Dre’s 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show due to JAY-Z’s Roc Nation. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, 50 Cent explained his unexpected appearance alongside Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige.
“[Roc Nation] wanted to leave me out of it. They didn’t want me there,” 50 Cent said. “[But] 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.’” He continued, “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.”
The feud between 50 Cent and JAY-Z is long-standing. Earlier this year, 50 Cent included JAY-Z in his trolling of Diddy, who faces several sexual assault lawsuits. In May, 50 mocked JAY-Z’s silence on Instagram, sharing an unflattering photo with the caption: “Jay in hibernation he ain’t coming outside till this shit with puff blow over, no brunch, no lunch, No dinner. LOL IM ALL YOU GOT IM OUTSIDE!”
50 referenced JAY-Z canceling the annual Roc Nation Brunch, held before the Grammy Awards and usually attended by Diddy and other celebrities.
In March, 50 Cent shared a milk carton image with JAY-Z’s face edited onto a missing person ad, captioning it, “Anybody seen J? LOL. puff said the [ninja emoji] ain’t answering his phone. LOL,” implying JAY-Z had gone silent amid Diddy’s issues.
50 also posted a deepfake video from New Jack City with altered faces representing Puffy and JAY-Z, hinting that JAY-Z might have known about Diddy’s alleged crimes. So far, JAY-Z has not commented on the allegations against Diddy.