The History Of 50 Cent & Diddy Proves This Was Never Just Beef

The headlines of Sean "Diddy" Combs's plight in jail may have shocked people, but the speed at which 50 Cent turned it into content wasn't surprising. News that Diddy allegedly had a knife held to his throat while in custody spread fast, and for many, it raised real questions about safety behind bars. Critics claimed it all felt like damage control wrapped in drama. This became just another bizarre plot twist in the long unraveling of a once-untouchable mogul. Yet, 50 Cent didn’t flinch. He went online.

Trolling is one of 50's favorite pastimes. It’s part of his brand. Still, when it comes to Diddy, it’s a different kind of personal and punchy consistency. Memes, jabs, captions, interviews, call outs...for nearly two decades, 50 Cent has used Diddy’s name like a punchline that never stopped landing. Diddy, for his part, has mostly ignored it. Combs often dismissed the teasing, as to not draw more attention to 50 Cent's prodding.

However, the internet doesn’t forget, and as Diddy’s empire collapses under the weight of lawsuits and a prison sentence, the timeline is catching up. What started all this? And why does Fif go so hard at the Bad Boy icon?

Some say one line is all it took. On a 2006 deep cut titled “The Bomb,” 50 Cent tossed out a lyric that still hangs in the air nearly two decades later. "Who shot Biggie Smalls?/ We don’t get 'em, they gonna kill us all/ Man, Puffy know who hit that n*gga/ Man, that n*gga soft, he scared them boys from the Westside will break him off/ Dump on his a**, so he run to Harlem shake em off," referencing Biggie’s 1997 murder. It was a direct accusation without proof, just enough to stir speculation and signal where 50 stood.

Diddy denied it then and still denies it now. No evidence ever surfaced, but the damage was done. That lyric cracked open the space between them, not just as artists, but as men navigating control in Hip Hop. Diddy built himself into a camera-ready brand surrounded by high fashion, champagne in hand, always in sync with corporate sponsorships and red carpets. 50 Cent came up swinging and built on defiance, not diplomacy.

After the era that followed "The Bomb," 50 Cent shifted to Diddy’s business ethics. In interviews and appearances, Fif pointed at the wreckage of Bad Boy’s artist roster. He brought up the contracts that left artists like Mase, The LOX, Day 26, 112, and others locked out of their own publishing or recounting alleged questionable incidents involving their former boss. He called out the alleged patterns of artists going in full of promise, only to come out broke or bitter.

These were beyond industry critiques. For 50, who built G-Unit with an eye toward independence and ownership, Diddy represented everything he resented, including alleged gatekeeping and mogul moves that left others behind. Fif also ensured that Diddy would always be the punchline. He made fun of Puff's dancing and flashy suits. He made insinuations about the Cîroc mogul, saying he was performative. 50 suggested that Diddy was calculated and even suspect, and he kept repeating it until the public started repeating it, too.

During these years, this feud moved from lyrics to liquor. 50 Cent announced a partnership with Effen Vodka in 2014, stepping directly into the spirits market Diddy had dominated with Cîroc since 2007. However, this wasn’t just a business move, it was bait. 50 made sure Diddy saw it.

He mocked Diddy and Cîroc mercilessly on social media, and during interviews, he questioned whether it was even vodka at all. He framed Effen as the smarter choice and painted Diddy’s drink as fake luxury, even launching a "#NoPuffyJuice" campaign.

The trolling only escalated from there. Every time Cîroc appeared in a Diddy ad or music video, 50 would post something snarky. Sometimes it was direct, sometimes coded, but the timing was always carefully executed. Diddy represented polish while 50 brought smoke, and the dynamic was starting to shift from music to meme.

The tone shifted in 2018. During an appearance on The Breakfast Club, 50 Cent explained why he shied away from partying with Diddy. According to Fif, Diddy made questionable statements, including allegedly offering to take 50 Cent shopping. The Get Rich or Die Tryin' rapper believed the proposal was suggestive. He told the story (repeatedly) in front of a global audience, laughing through the punchline, but the implication was clear. He painted Diddy as someone who said things that didn’t sit right and whose behavior was, in 50’s words, “fruity.”

It wasn’t the first time 50 leaned on coded language to question Diddy’s sexuality, but this time it caught more public attention. Blogs picked it up and commenters debated whether it was a legitimate concern or thinly veiled homophobia. Still, Diddy simply stated that he and Fif weren't at war.

Later that year, when asked about 50’s comments during an interview on The Breakfast Club, Diddy dismissed it all. “I don’t have no beef with Fif. He loves me. You can’t see that? That’s not hate. He loves me.” It was a soft deflection, delivered with a smirk, but also a strategy. Diddy rarely engaged 50 directly, and when he did, it was with a shrug.

The jabs didn’t stop. 50 kept posting. The trolling became familiar...predictable, even. Some began to wonder why 50 kept pushing the narrative and why Diddy never fought back. This was a turning point. The humor started wearing thin and jokes felt heavier.

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By 2022, the dynamic between 50 Cent and Diddy stopped feeling like a one-sided feud. Instead, it began looking like foreshadowing. It was that year that rumors of Daphne Joy, mother of 50 Cent’s son, circulated online. Then, in November, she shared a Happy Birthday message to Puff, drawing Fif’s ire. He used the moment to call her out publicly for aligning herself with someone he clearly saw as suspect. She responded on Instagram, asking to be left alone.

In November 2023, the public accusations against Diddy stopped being vague. His ex-girlfriend Cassie filed a lawsuit alleging a decade of physical abuse, rape, and trafficking. The case settled within 24 hours, but the floodgates opened. More lawsuits followed. Former employees, collaborators, and accusers came forward with detailed claims of sexual assault and violence. Diddy denied each one, but his public image began to fracture.

50 didn’t hesitate. He commented and capitalized on Diddy's misfortune with strategic jokes. He announced plans to produce a documentary about Diddy and the growing list of accusations. Then came March 2024 when Homeland Security raided two of Diddy’s homes as part of a federal investigation into sex trafficking. Weeks later, Diddy was arrested and charged with multiple federal crimes, including racketeering, sex trafficking, and conspiracy to transport individuals across state lines for prostitution. More than 1,000 bottles of lubricant and baby oil were seized as evidence.

50 couldn’t help himself. “I’ve been very vocal about not going to Puffy parties and doing sh*t like that,” Fif told The Hollywood Reporter in 2024. “I’ve been staying out of that sh*t for years. It’s just an uncomfortable energy connected to it.” He also took aim at the shocking video of Diddy punching, kicking, and dragging Cassie across the floor.

“First, he denied that it even happened, and then the tape comes out — so that means everything that n—a says is a lie,” 50 said. “When someone watches that, if they have a daughter and they can imagine her being under those circumstances, that sh*t is crazy. Like, they let him get away with it. With all the influence and power you have, the person you’re with is supposed to want to be a part of your life, not be forced.”

For years, 50 Cent was easy to dismiss, but with each new allegation and court filing, the context shifted. He weaponized his voice, even when it was messy. What once read as trolling now carries a different charge. Diddy spent decades shaping himself as untouchable. Even when critiques surfaced, they rarely stuck. He avoided the kind of public fallout that derailed other stars, until now. Still, it was 50 Cent that never let Diddy go unanswered.

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