Fat Joe and Ja Rule’s VERZUZ Fight - Here’s What Happened Now

Fat Joe and Ja Rule took the level on the theater at Madison Square Garden and went head-to-head at the cutting-edge version of VERZUZ. It becomes a solidly New York affair, with numerous guests, an intermission, and plenty of smack speaking. Check out the overall playlist of the tracks they finished below, on TIDAL.

From nearly the jump, the 2 MCs traded barbs in among songs, in spite of the pals and collaborators having no actual pork among them. Joe teased Ja for his contemporary relevance (“Where you been the remaining ten years?”) at the same time as Ja postured as though his quick run withinside the highlight nevertheless eclipsed Joe’s multi-decade tune report of hit-making.

Fat Joe’s power withinside the struggle simply lay in his excessive-profile collaborations—he delivered out Remy Ma - Joe’s braggadocio prolonged to the artists he placed on (DJ Khaled, Big Pun) and the way wealthy they are. And at the same time as Ja regarded to take problem with Joe’s tangential connections to songs like “Still Not a Player” (Ja: “That’s now no longer your report!” Joe: “I become the govt producer” Ja: “That don’t count!”) he regarded to don't have any troubles with the white Latino MC’s common use of the n-word. When Joe teased Ja for doing extra making a song than rapping, Ja revealed withinside the acknowledgment that he become in advance of his time (“I'm the making a song rapper! I commenced this shit! You getting bodied through a making a song rapper!“). Joe made common references to Ja Rule’s disastrous Fyre Festival, mocking the “Baloney sandwiches” from notorious reviews approximately the festival’s catering.

The remarks phase become as active because of the crowd on the Garden, with appearances from Diddy, Khaled, and lots of many extras. There have been rumors of a 50 Cent appearance—50 and Ja have had an extended and documented pork—however, it in no way materialized. Murder Inc co-founder Irv Gotti felt pressured to reply to the specter of the Queens rapper regardless, saying: “All y’all speaking that fifty shit. All good. He was given beat-up stabbed up. Shot up. And sued us. That’s all I’m gonna say. Your hero ain’t what you suspect he is. Period. And Facts.”

Each artist had chart-topping hits to cling their hats on, even though they tended to function excessive-profile collaborators that could have been difficult to wrangle. Ja did his large J Lo collab “I’m Real” without her, and Joe did the strip membership anthem “Make it Rain” without Lil Wayne. But the ladies who have been there—Remy Ma, Lil Mo, Vita, and Ashanti—have been buoyant, maintaining the display from sinking beneath neath a load of its large male egos. Ashanti made pretty a touch, in particular, guesting on each Ja Rule’s - Out of all of the hooks I ever wrote, I want I had saved that one,” he said. And earlier than sliding right into a rendition of his No. 1 hit “Lean Back,” Joe stopped the display to present Ashanti and Remy Hermes purses onstage.

Despite the large quantities of smack talk, the temper on the displays gives up becomes congenial. Throughout the display, Ja could provide Joe props on a number of his largest songs: “That’s one in all my favored records!” he said, extra than once. Joe made a factor to mention he picked Ja to struggle on VERZUZ due to the fact every person else become afraid to move towards Ja and all his hit songs. “I need my brother to get the props he deserves,” he said. And after they delivered out Jadakiss for his or her joint collaboration “New York,” it has become clear that everybody on level become at the identical team.

Last month,  essential New York crews, the LOX and Dipset, went head-to-head at MSG. In June, Eve and Trina had an extra congenial far-off session, with Trina in Miami and Eve in London. 

Read approximately VERZUZ in Pitchfork’s “How Music Persisted During the Pandemic” and test out “Searching for Answers in Fyre Festival’s Viral Disaster” at the Pitch.