Rapper 50 Cent has been in the music world for over two decades, and throughout that time, the Power star bore witness to the rise of many rappers, from Jay-Z and Eminem to Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. When 50 looks back at the legacies of Jay-Z and Eminem specifically, however, he finds that the two artists and their achievements aren’t comparable.

 

50 Cent has been friends with Eminem for years

Eminem emerged on the hip-hop scene at the turn of the millennium with breakout albums including The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show, the latter being the highest-selling rap album of all time. By the early 2000s, he was the hottest new rappers in the game, with a No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 and an Academy Award for Best Original Song with “Lose Yourself.” In 2003, Eminem collaborated with New York rapper 50 Cent on “Patiently Waiting” from 50’s debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’.

 

In 2022, 50 marked the years of his great relationship with Eminem with a sincere Instagram post. “This friendship is never gonna change,” he captioned two photos of the rappers in 2003 and in 2022.

 

 

 

 

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50 Cent says Eminem has had a bigger impact on hip-hop than Jay-Z

In January 2023, former NBA players Jamal Crawford and Shaquille O’Neal reflected on Eminem’s legacy — along with other rappers’ — on O’Neal’s The Big Podcast with Shaq. When Crawford considers his top five best rappers of all time, he said plainly that he valued “dominance” and cultural impact over record sales and No. 1 singles.

“My five, the dominance outweighs the number,” Crawford said. “Like, Jay-Z’s effect on hip-hop is bigger than any album sales that Eminem will have, you see what I’m saying? That’s just how it goes.” O’Neal disagreed, as did 50 Cent.

 

50 shared his thoughts on Crawford’s claim in an Instagram comment on Hip Hop Wolf‘s post detailing the interaction. “Ha bulls***,” 50 wrote with a sneezing face emoji.