Fat Joe Says He Never Dissed 50 Cent on Ja Rule's 'New York'

Fat Joe says he never aimed a lyric at 50 Cent on Ja Rule's "New York."

He addressed the two-decade-old dispute on the Sept. 21 episode of The Real Report podcast with Tony Yayo and Uncle Murda. His message was direct. He did not diss 50 Cent.

"New York" came out in October 2004 and featured Fat Joe and Jadakiss alongside Ja Rule, according to Billboard. The collaboration put three New York rappers on one record. It also pulled Joe into someone else's fight.

50 Cent heard Ja Rule's lines on the track as a sneak diss, a hidden insult aimed at him. He answered in 2005 with "Piggy Bank." That song named Fat Joe and Jadakiss and criticised them for appearing on Ja Rule's record.

Joe said the core beef was never his. It was between 50 Cent and Ja Rule. He described Ja Rule as a friend who saved his life, and said he was standing by that friendship by doing the guest verse.

He also pointed to studio history with 50 Cent. Joe said he was working with producer Scott Storch around the time Storch made the beat for "Candy Shop." Joe said he told Storch to give that beat to 50 Cent. "Candy Shop" became a 2005 single for 50 Cent.

That did not stop the fallout. The dispute between 50 Cent and Fat Joe ran from 2004 through 2012, according to Billboard. It included public jabs on both sides. In 2009, 50 Cent posted a video mocking Joe's "Cupcake" single.

Time has softened the public language. In a 2023 Rolling Stone interview, 50 Cent said he was "buggin'" when he dragged Fat Joe into his dispute with Ja Rule. Joe has now given his own version of the same point.

What makes this stand out is how long one guest appearance lasted. A verse recorded in 2004 shaped headlines, diss tracks and interviews for years. For listeners coming to it now, Joe's account recognises that history without reopening it.