Let's play the feud

About five years ago, 50 Cent pretty much ended rapper Ja Rule's career with a couple of blistering dis tracks in one of the better rap feuds since Biggie and 2Pac got shot and things got heavy. 50 really played up the idea that Ja wasn't a hardcore rapper, and some of it was exaggerated, but a dude can only make so many "Grease"-inspired music videos before he brings it on himself. Next thing you know, everyone from Busta Rhymes to Fat Joe were piling it on and — poof — Ja Rule disappeared.

But as 50 continuously slides into Ja territory with tracks using increasingly absurd metaphors for his prowess with the ladies, it was only a matter of time before somebody decided to take on 50 with his own weapons.

Over the past few weeks, Cam'ron (of "60 Minutes" no-snitching fame) and 50 have been going at each other, and it's been a cheesy soap opera at best. In the latest installment, Cam responded to 50's insinuation that he was in hiding by hanging out in socks, boxer shorts and a wife beater by his pool and saying he's on vacation.

50's response: “My whirlpool is bigger than Cam’s swimming pool.
And he shouldn’t be in front of no camera with daisy dukes on.”

The video came out last week, but it was 50's response Friday that realy sparked this post. Those are probably the two best lines 50 has written since "Get Rich or Die Tryin'"

There might not be two rappers out there now who need more motivation than Cam and, certainly, 50. The question is, do they even want the motivation? Cam'ron seems happy painting himself as the crazy street underdog, and 50 seems fine cashing in on quasi-rap pop songs about his magic stick, candy shop and roller coaster. Those are their angles, the money-making niches they've carved out for each other.

But here's to hoping this will push them both to write more of the blistering hip-hop that made them stars in the first place.

The mainstream media does a story involving hip-hop that doesn't blame everything ON hip-hop

The last time Anderson Cooper did a music story for "60 Minutes," he ended up crammed into a box with country super-duper-star Kenny Chesney. It became a "newsmakers making news" moment, as both men are rumored to be gay (notthatthere'sanythingwrongwiththat).

Last night, Cooper did a piece on the "stop snitching" movement among blacks. CBS sent out a promo for it last week that made a minor splash. The news site Drudge Report, never one to undersensationalize a situation, blasted word that, in the piece, Harlem rap god Cam'ron said he wouldn't call the cops even if a serial killer was living next door. Cam was shot in 2005 and has not cooperated with the police, and earlier this year he made a video that protrays 50 Cent as a cooperating witness.



From the promo, the story seemed like another case of rap music being blamed for society's ills. Instead, the it rightly covered the issue as a larger problem. It showed hip-hop's influence on the unwritten rule in black America not to cooperate with police, but it kept the focus ON black America as a whole.

It's about 12 minutes long and worth watching. "60 Minutes" remains one of the few places on TV to find journalism that is topical, insightful, well-rounded and not sensationalistic.

"Stop Snitching" story, Part 1

"Stop Snitching" story, Part 2