The Game’s long-simmering feud with 50 Cent has had its share of highs and lows for the better part of 17 years. Despite Game wanting 50 to go up against him in a mythical Verzuz, the two have remained at odds against one another even with the peak of their animosity occurring during George W. Bush’s second presidential term.
via: Complex
The Compton native made the claim during a recent appearance on Matt Barnes’ and Stephen Jackson’s All The Smoke podcast. The Game told the hosts that G-Unit boss 50 Cent and former Interscope CEO Jimmy Iovine gave him $1 million to stop using the term, which he frequently used to disparage his ex-label.
“Lotta people don’t know this: 50 and Jimmy Iovine gave me a million dollars to stop saying G-Unot,” he said. “They wrote me a check, they bought it. I had to trademark the G-Unot. And you remember when I was going around with the rat and doing all that shit, that shit hurt.”
The Game, who was dismissed by G-Unit in 2005, said the term killed “killed G-Unit” as a brand.
“You stopped seeing the candy cane tank tops and all that shit,” he continued. “All that, the whole G-Unit/Mark Ecko, the shoes, that shit died. That shit was a hot commodity at once, G-Unit clothing. N***as was wearing the sweats, headbands, the masks, everything. That shit died, bro. So they had to pay me. I should have asked for more, but them n***as gave me a million. But I’m a hood n***a; a million dollars to stop saying this word? Where the check? They wrote the check and I stopped saying it.”
Though he may’ve stopped using the “G-Unot” catchphrase, The Game has continued to beef with 50 over the past 17 years—primarily through dozens of diss tracks and online jabs. Yes, there were moments in which the former label mates seemingly squashed their beef, but there have no extended periods of a truce.
Earlier this year, The Game shot down claims that 50 Cent was responsible for his success.
“‘A lot of people like, ‘N***a, 50 put you on.’ No, 50 did not put me on. People don’t understand that,” he said during a Fat Joe Instagram Live broadcast. “At that time in L.A., I was it. I was the n***a. That’s why Jimmy [Iovine] took me, and told 50 he was putting me in G-Unit. And 50 accepted it because my name was ringing bells in the streets of hip-hop.”
