Ja Rule responds to Melle Mel accusing him of copying 50 Cent

Ja Rule has responded to Melle Mel‘s claims of him that he copied 50 Cent towards the end of his career.

Interviewed by The Art Of Dialogue, Melle Mel referenced Ja Rule’s ‘New York’ anthem, which features fellow NYC rappers Fat Joe and Jadakiss.

The Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five member said: “If he would have just made that record a pure New York record, it would have been a way bigger record.”

Mel then stated that Jay-Z and Alicia Keys‘ ‘Empire State Of Mind’ is a “pure New York record.”

He continued: “But he went the route of trying to sound hard because 50 Cent sounded hard.”

Mel also mentioned that Rule’s ‘New York’ was “probably one of his last big records,” arguing that he tried to emulate 50 Cent after.

Caught by TMZ, Ja Rule was asked about the hip-hop pioneer’s comments, in which he started off by saying Mel “has earned the right to say whatever he wants”.

However, the rapper found Mel’s comment comical: “Me copying 50 is the funniest shit ever because 50 copied me. I was his blueprint.”

In reference to Mel saying Jay-Z’s track was a better New York anthem, Ja Rule said: “My ‘New York’ record was huge, humongous. One of the biggest New York records today. ‘Empire State of Mind’ is a huge record as well, but they’re different.”

He went on to define the difference: “Mine was a street anthem and ‘Empire State of Mind’ was a big commercial record…mine is gutter.”

Ja Rule and 50 Cent have had a rivalry since 1999. The feud allegedly stemmed from Rule being robbed at gunpoint by one of 50 Cent’s affiliates. This resulted in diss tracks between the two, club brawls, and social media battles.

In other news, Ja Rule recently announced his new streaming platform ICONN, which hopes to “revolutionise the way entertainers are presented, interacted with and booked.”