Maino Says 50 Cent Fell Off, But Joe Budden Isn’t Buying It

Maino apparently thinks 50 Cent’s pen could use a tuneup, and he picked the right room to announce it.

During a recent episode of Let’s Rap About It, the conversation turned to rappers whose abilities have deteriorated over time. Joe Budden, appearing as a guest, suggested he could still approach his prime form if he returned to recording. That opened the door for a discussion about who actually lost a step.

Maino put 50 Cent’s name on the table. Joe wasn’t accepting that nomination.

Now, you can probably imagine why this particular selection comes with a little extra seasoning. Maino and the podcast crew already have friction with Curtis. Maino maintained that the tension wasn’t driving his assessment, even saying, “I love 50 Cent.” When Budden brought up 50’s television theme songs, Maino joked about cutting his microphone off.

That is one way to handle a rebuttal. The sound engineer suddenly becomes the most powerful person in the debate.

But Joe’s position gives this conversation somewhere interesting to go. Does a rapper lose his ability, or do listeners stop getting the kind of records that made them fans? Those are separate questions, and I would like somebody to bring a playlist before we start confiscating pens.

With 50, the expectations are enormous. People aren’t measuring him against an anonymous Tuesday afternoon freestyle. They are measuring him against the version of 50 that made an entire generation memorize his hooks.

Still, Maino is entitled to hear a decline. Joe is equally entitled to disagree. Hip-Hop would be considerably less entertaining if everybody arrived at the podcast with matching opinions and a fruit basket.

The existing dispute makes the exchange harder to hear as a purely musical critique, even with Maino denying that connection. Fair or unfair, listeners are going to consider the history. 

And let’s remember, these guys already put their grievances over beats. 50 Cent’s record and video with Max B took aim at the podcast circle, and Maino answered with “Bleed Like Us.” This argument had already traveled from the phone to the recording booth.

Personally, I would welcome the music. Let the next verse do the arguing.

Excerpt: Maino questioned 50 Cent’s current rap skills, but Joe Budden pushed back during a podcast exchange complicated by an existing feud.