TI challenges 50 Cent to Verzuz IG Rap Battle while wishing him happy birthday, Fiddy blows smoke back at him
Curtis Jackson aka 50 Cent turned 45 on July 6, and due to the ongoing social distancing protocols, we didn't really plan to find him in the club with bottles full of bub. But plenty of fans and his famous rap contemporaries were singing his praises on social media to mark the special occasion. One of the rap stars who wished 50 Cent a happy birthday was 'No Mediocre' singer TI who, along with his good wishes, also threw down a brazen Verzuz IG Live challenge for Fiddy.
However, 50 Cent had the last laugh by lightheartedly questioning whether TI had been smoking some of the "wacky tobaccy" which presumably made him think he could match up to the 'In Da Club' rapper's levels.
It all started when the Atlanta-based rapper TI posted a video on Instagram which wished the rapper well on his birthday and then asked him to make an appearance on Timbaland and Swizz Beatz's popular Verzuz Instagram Live Battle series, which pits the best songs of two head-to-head competitors against each other, as thousands of fans watched online and commented on proceedings.
It's been a highly entertaining series thus far, bringing us matchups like Jill Scott vs Erykah Badu, Babyface vs Teddy Riley, Lil Jon vs T-Pain, Alicia Keys vs John Legend and Nelly vs Ludacris among numerous other online music showdowns.
"I heard its 50 Cent’s birthday. Happy Birthday Fifty. I appreciate you for staying down. For remaining healthy, alive, and free for so long, man," TI began, before continuing, "But for your birthday, I offer you a challenge, sir. Pull your a** up with 20 of y’all records. Sit across from me," he dared 50 Cent. He also brought up 50 Cent's 2007 appearance on BET's '106 & Park', when both Kanye West and 50 Cent had come to promote their respective album releases — "I understand if you don’t want to answer to that challenge, 'cause last time you got challenged, Kanye West dusted your a** off, so... You might not want to do that."
TI basically threw down the gauntlet for 50 Cent, urging him to bring his famous friends along as well for the battle. “Guess who ain't scared of your motherf**king a** Fiddy. Look, man, pull up. Pull on up. Bring your a** on that. Bring your records, bring your hit records with you. You and Dr Dre and Eminem and G-Unit, bring y’all a** on that. C'mon and see the king," TI declared.
He also made it clear that this wasn't a personal beef. He just wanted to pit his music against Fiddy's tunes: "You and me, we’re alright. I fought with you 50, it ain't you this time. It’s your catalog that got some trouble, you understand? Your motherf**king catalog is in trouble," TI stated.
He also said that while plenty of other rappers wanted a piece of him, he had his sights set on challenging the best in the business: "People been talking about me and Jeezy, me and Gucci [Mane]. Listen man, I want Fifty. Atlanta and New York, that we be doing. I want Fifty. Bring you a** outside Fifty. Someone call Fifty and tell him I’m on him. If he wants this smoke, I got the ashtray. Let’s see how long you have before you've sprung to my message."
It took less than an hour for 50 Cent to respond in epic fashion, tweeting a headline that carried TI's challenge while saying: "Yo somebody passed TI the weed they gave Smokey in 'Friday'. LOL". Smokey was a reference to Chris Tucker's character in the 1995 movie 'Friday', and Fiddy was clearly implying that TI was probably too high out of his mind to think that he could match up to 50 Cent's standards.
Fans seemed to think that it would be an even contest, however. One fan said, "TI lyrically better" while another said, "50 can play just the 'Get Rich or Die Trying' album and it would be an easy win for him." One supporter seemed to like TI's chances saying, "As much as I love Fif... Nahhh man TI got this!" while another Fiddy diehard exclaimed, "It's like a small child challenging Bruce Lee to a 1v1".
A fan asserted, "It'd be a good match, but my money is on TI. 50 has a strong catalog, but nothing recent. TI has expeditiously been putting out good music." However, that was countered by another fan who tweeted, "50 will wipe the floor with TI with his album cuts alone ...imagine he brings out his hits from the mixtape era." Either way, fans will certainly be interested in seeing this epic rap showdown — it still may happen if 50 Cent decides it's worth the effort after all.