Recently, Louisiana rapper Hurricane Chris sat down with DJ Vlad and expressed his bold opinion that his hits overshadow those of rap legend 50 Cent.
“You cannot out-rap me. You do not make better music than me right now,”
Chris confidently said. The statement sparked an immediate back-and-forth between him and Vlad, who jumped to 50 Cent’s defense, showing particular love for the Queens rapper’s classic 2003 album Get Rich or Die Tryin’.
Chris remained firm in the interview, as he says, even as 50 Cent may have been untouchable in his prime, the times have since changed. Since he and the artist are to drop music on the same day, he felt that he himself would dominate the charts.
“I’m still making music that’s connecting with people,”
Chris said, as if to say 50’s earlier success does not translate into current relevance.
But Vlad responded, issuing Chris notice that 50’s impact on the rap game soared. He said Get Rich or Die Tryin’ was one of the albums defining the 2000s. Vlad brought that point home with extreme complimentary regard for 50’s past, but Chris remained firm, insisted his current catalog has more to offer than a legacy cemented decades ago.
“Legendary status is great,”
says Chris.
“That doesn’t mean you still got that same fire today.”
Probably one of the most valid points of Chris’s argument goes to his claim about Shreveport, Louisiana. Since he is from there, he highly pointed out that such contact makes him an even better performer in his home city than 50 Cent. According to Chris, this connection with the community and further relevance in Louisiana give him an edge compared to 50’s broader, global fan base.
“I’ve been holding it down in Shreveport for years. People here know my work, and they respect it,”
he said, adding that local support can often trump national fame when it comes to live performances.
However, some critics argue that even though Chris may have a very fertile following in his home state, 50 Cent’s reach is much farther away than the local scene. Noted to have gone on international tours, with mainstream appeal across a number of continents, the wide appeal of 50 Cent outweighs that of Chris’s regional dominance, some say.
“It’s not just Shreveport-it’s about impact on a global scale,”
one industry insider said.
It all began when Chris went on record to blast 50 Cent for not putting any local acts on the bill during his Humor & Harmony Festival in Shreveport this past weekend. The event saw featured performances by other Louisiana natives, Master P and Fredo Bang, but for whatever reason, 50 Cent opted against booking anyone from Shreveport-specifically. To Chris, that was a missed opportunity to put Shreveport’s cream of the crop talent onto a bigger stage.
50 Cent NEVER one to back down from a public spat, shot back by belittling Chris as a “one-hit wonder,” an obvious reference to Chris’s 2007 hit single “A Bay Bay.” Although it was a stinging remark, Chris refused to veer off message from his original point that he had.
“It wasn’t about disrespecting 50,”
he said later.
“I just wanted to see more love for the community I’ve been representing for years.”
Despite the heated exchange, both artists have moved on from the drama of the festival. Chris made clear his comments were never intended to start beef but were instead a reflection of his sentiment to see better representation with regards to his community.
“I’m proud of where I come from, and I want to see Shreveport artists get the recognition they deserve,”
Chris said in a follow-up interview. Meanwhile, 50 Cent has remained relatively tight-lipped on matters lately, focusing on other things.
