Why did Fat Joe beef with Jay-Z and 50 Cent? Rapper reveals the feud caused his failed Jordan and Reebok sneaker deals

Fat Joe has claimed that his beef with Jay-Z and 50 Cent led to him losing sneaker deals with Jordan and Reebok during a recent episode of Sneaker Shopping. While his feud with both rappers has now ended, it cost him millions at the time.

Fat Joe, whose real name is Joseph Antonio Cartagena, had disagreements with 50 Cent, but it became prominent at the 2005 MTV VMAs. As Joe went on stage to present an award, Fifty tried to provoke him during the ad break. He waved at him from the cheap seats, wandered on stage in front of him, and also yelled at him when the show returned from break.

This led to Joe saying:

“I feel safe with all the police protection courtesy of G-Unit.”

After this, 50 Cent even called Joe a "p*ssy" on stage.

Now, in an appearance on Complex's Sneaker Shopping, released on September 8, Fat Joe recalled how this incident cost him a deal with Jordan. He said

“I was the first rapper with a Jordan sneaker. Not only that, designed by Michael Jordan."

However, he said that he got a call from a Jordan executive, who said:

“‘Yo, Big Joe, you know, I'm not with controversy. Maybe we look at this in the future.’"

Joe also recalled how his potential deal with Reebok also fell through because of his beef with 50 Cent and Jay-Z, saying:

“Reebok had approached me and was like, ‘Yo, we want to do a sneaker with you for millions’. I caught the squeeze play cuz Hov was over there and 50 Cent.”

He said that the head of Reebok called him, adding:

“He said, ‘Yo, I ain't know you not cool with Hov.’ They shut it down. They was just like, ‘Yo, we won't do business with you if you give this guy a sneaker.’ That's part of the karma. It's part of the ins and outs. I've done it to other guys. It came back to me.”

Fat Joe's altercation with Jay-Z began in 2004. When it actually started remains unclear, but it gained prominence at the New York City Entertainment Basketball Classic at Harlem’s Rucker Park. Jay's team forfeited the match.

Then, in his 2004 single, Lean Back, Fat Joe took a dig at Jay, rapping:

“I don’t wanna speak about the Rucker / Not even Pee Wee Kirkland could imagine this / My n***a didn’t have to play to win the championship.”

Meanwhile, Jay-Z took a dig at Joe in his 2004 single, The Game Is Mine.

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Fat Joe appears to have squashed his beef with 50 Cent and Jay-Z

(Middle) 50 Cent and Fat Joe at Detroit Pistons v New York Knicks - Game Two (Image Source: Getty)

Cartagena appears to have ended his feud with both rappers in the last decade. In an interview on the People's Party podcast with Talib Kweli, released on May 1, 2021, Joe recalled his reconciliation with 50 Cent. He said:

“When I show up to the BET Awards, we on point. We super focused. That’s the only way I can explain it legally. They say rehearsal. I perform ‘Lean Back’ and then 50 Cent comes out. He ends up right by where I’m at. And when the music stops, he puts his hands out, and says ‘Peace for Chris Lighty.’ Chris Lighty wanted peace.”

Chris Lighty was a record producer, music manager, and a common friend of Joe and Fifty. He died on August 30, 2012, due to a self-inflicted gunshot. Meanwhile, Fat Joe's feud with Jay-Z ended in 2016. The latter featured on Joe and Remy Ma's song, All the Way Up. Jay-Z and Joe also posed together during Beyoncé's Formation Tour.

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