Maino is making it clear he’s not losing sleep over his recent tension with 50 Cent. In fact, he says it’s been a net positive. Speaking during a street interview with TMZ, the Brooklyn rapper addressed 50’s comments about potentially buying into his podcast and said that the public back-and-forth has only helped elevate his platform.
“Beefing with 50 is good business,” Maino said in the interview. He explained that since the exchange started, everything tied to the podcast has seen a noticeable boost. “Numbers is up, podcast is up, engagement is up. I wish I woulda known this a long time ago,” he added, suggesting the attention has only helped expand his platform.
The exchange stems from criticism aired on Let’s Rap About It, the podcast co-hosted by Maino alongside Jim Jones, Fabolous, and Dave East. On a recent episode, the group gave 50 Cent’s Diddy documentary a harsh review. They dismissed it as less of a serious film and more of a “mockumentary.” Jim Jones in particular took issue with what he felt was an attempt to weaken Sean Combs’ legacy, calling the project petty and exploitative.
50 didn’t take the criticism lightly. He responded on Instagram with a series of posts aimed at the crew, firing shots at Jones while also dragging Maino, Fabolous, and Dave East into the mix. In one post, 50 mocked their fashion and success, while in another he claimed the group owed a large sum of money for the space where they film their podcast. “These guys are squatters, they owe 250,000k for the space they are filming their podcast," 50 said. "These bums are trying to win best dressed award and can’t pay their bills.”
Maino Responds To 50 Cent
Maino also addressed 50’s claim that he’d like to buy half of the podcast, saying he’s open to the conversation ... if it’s real. “He said he wanted to buy half the podcast, but I’m the person you need to see about that,” Maino explained. “If you gonna buy half the podcast, I’m the guy.”
Maino emphasized that he isn’t plotting or making assumptions beyond what’s already been said publicly. Instead, he’s simply responding to 50’s words. “I’m not planning nothing, I’m going based off what was said,” he explained. “If the brother is not capping, I’m saying OK. You can’t buy it from nobody else but from over here."
"If you making bold statements, then my phone should be ringing,” Maino continued. “What’s up? What we doing?”
As for whether 50 Cent will actually follow through, that remains to be seen.
