Jay-Z is just as much of a mogul as he is a rapper. He declared, “I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man” on Kanye’s “Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)”. He keeps his hands in a variety of different ventures to maintain his billionaire status. Alongside Beyoncé, they make an extremely rich power couple. When it comes to raking in the dough in hip-hop, Hov is the one to beat. Even 50 Cent in all of his braggadocio had to admit he’s beat there.
However, he also knows exactly why his impressive business acumen doesn’t compare to Jay-Z. In a clip from an interview with Brian J. Roberts, 50 argued that the Blueprint rapper wouldn’t be inclined to help the artists he signed with a collab. Instead, he would give them the stamp of approval once they are “doing well enough to not need him.”
Conversely, 50 Cent said he would “beat myself up looking out for them.” Ultimately, Hov looked at music as just another arm of his business empire. But the G-Unit rapper claimed he’s a lot more personable. “He’s positioning it as business, and working with you when it’s good for business,” he said. “I’m positioning it as they’re my people. I have to get them into the right space, so I work them into a good space regardless.”
50 Cent Explains The Difference Between Himself and Jay-Z in Business
Additionally, 50 recalled moments in which artists didn’t receive the same star treatment as others. But he stressed that sometimes factors play a much more pivotal role than his guidance alone. “I’ve had guys be angry with me because it felt like you made them a star, you didn’t make me a star,” 50 Cent recounted. “And I’m like, ‘What?’ I’m like, ‘They had talent, and it was the timing of it, made it happen like that.’”
This contrasts with how 50 has treated his past G-Unit cohorts. He has barked back and forth with his former artist, Young Buck, and collected a hefty $200K from his bankruptcy trial. Moreover, he trashed Lloyd Banks alongside Fabolous in a since-deleted Instagram post back in January 2026.
“They both write better when it’s about girls, they both think they are better than everybody,” 50 Cent wrote at the time. “They both never put in no work them selves, They both are not likely to sell at this point in their career. IT’s A TIE LADIES & GENTLEMAN. They are the same.”
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