“You wasn’t even around”: 50 Cent denies claims that The Game wrote ‘What Up Gangsta’

50 Cent has disagreed with the notion that The Game wrote the song What Up Gangsta from Get Rich or Die Tryin’. While appearing on Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club on August 13, he said:

“[The Game] said he wrote ‘What Up Gangsta.’ I’m like, ‘C’mon, bro. You wasn’t even around when we did that. That was before you even came into the picture. That was Get Rich Or Die Tryin’. We didn’t even know who he was until after. There’s a point when you [reach] desperation, and you’ll say anything.”

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While speaking on The Breakfast Club, 50 revealed the reasons for not signing J. Cole in 2000 after he was unsure if people were ready to listen to Cole's rap. He said:

“As dope as they are, it’s smarter rap, smarter music. The logic is: ‘Sit down, be humble.’ We supposed to already know to sit down and be humble. But when they put that there, it’s almost the conscious side of it. I’m like, 'Yo, it was cool,' but I didn’t really know if everybody was ready for it because of how strong they were embracing what we [G-Unit] were doing.”

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The Game claimed to be the writer of 50 Cent’s song

The Game's manager, Wack 100, claimed back in March 2022 that the Compton rapper had ghostwritten What Up Gangsta from 50 Cent's debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’. Wack recited a few lines from the song and said:

“I’m going to speak on something you don’t never speak on. ‘What up, cuz? What up, blood? What up, gangsta?’ Who you think wrote that? I’mma leave it alone… Bro just don’t be beating his chest.”

Sha Money XL responded to the claims the same month and stated that Wack was lying. An audio clip featured the conversation between The Game, Wack, and others where someone asked if 50 Cent wrote most of the songs for The Game. While The Game confirmed this, Wack said that The Game helped 50 write What Up Gangsta.

The Game has spoken about the songs he has written for other artists. Meanwhile, 50 once mentioned that he provided a version of his album The Massacre to The Game, which he later released as his second album, The Documentary.

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50 Cent and The Game’s beef explained

50 Cent and The Game were on bad terms for a long time (Images via Theo Wargo and Graham Denholm/Getty Images)

The Game joined G-Unit to get people familiar with his name before the release of his first album, which also included 50 Cent’s three songs. While The Game was filming the video for his third song, Hate It or Love It, there were reports that 50 refused to sit with The Game inside the car.

While appearing on the US station Hot 97 in 2005, 50 dismissed The Game from G-Unit, stating that the latter should stop saying G-Unit. The Game then tried to enter the radio station and this was followed by a fight where he was shot in the leg by a security guard.

The Game then revealed in the same year that he and 50 Cent had decided to end their feud, but it did not last long after G-Unit criticized The Game’s street cred, stating that he would no longer be a part of their albums. The Game and 50 then targeted each other in their songs.

The Game then requested 50 Cent in 2010 via a tweet to pick up his phone, aiming to end their problems. However, the issues started again when 50 released a song titled My Life with Eminem and Adam Levine in 2012, targeting The Game. The Game then launched a petition for G-Unit to have a reunion, which failed.

In 2016, both rappers were spotted together at a club in Los Angeles, suggesting that their beef had ended. The two rappers announced the same release date for their albums this year, but the dates were changed, and The Game’s album will now be released in October.