By now the Hip Hop nation has heard the stories and rumors surrounding the incident at the 2004 Hot 97 Summer Jam in New York involving 50 Cent’s group G-Unit and former members of the click, Bang ‘Em Smurf and Domination. While the debacle was not a full-on fight, there were bottles and chairs flying from the audience to the stage and back again, causing temporary chaos in the front rows where Bang ‘Em Smurf and his people had been watching the show. Fortunately no one was hurt, and the situation was swiftly settled.
50 Cent opened his portion of the show with a pseudo awards show, taking comedic verbal shots at several people including Joe Budden, Ja Rule, Lil Kim, Ashanti, and even Jay-Z by way of Beyonce. He became increasingly irritated during his performance as the audience at New Jersey’s Giants Stadium failed to give him the reception he was apparently anticipating. Toward the end of his set, he began chiding the audience for their lack of response to him, and even took some harsh shots at R. Kelly, who had received top billing as the final act of the concert.
While 50 Cent captivated fans in 2002 and 2003 with his aggressive lyrics, edgy persona, and constant controversy, things seemed to quiet down in early 2004. It was evident to fans at Summer Jam, however, that beefs he could have moved past were not settled in his mind.
In the midst of the media’s rush to find answers to why this even happened, Bang ‘Em Smurf took some time to speak with AllHipHop.com about the situation.
“I think [50 Cent] really didn’t know what to do – he was more nervous than anything,” Bang ‘Em Smurf said. “He didn’t expect to see us all, friends and [neighbors], in the front row like that. I can’t really explain that, but to me he was just really nervous, he ain’t know what to do at first. He was playing the whole other side of the stage, so I guess he felt like he had to do something, cuz we were up front making a lot of noise, so he came over there and threw water on us. First they threw money – Banks was throwing a bunch of singles. We didn’t really stress that, cuz that’s nothing – everybody got money, but then 50 came over and he threw water on me. That’s when things got crazy. Before he threw the water he was like ‘Oh, is y’all thirsty?’ and he threw water on us, and the water got on me. That’s when I tried to jump over the barricade, and then [people] just started going crazy letting the chairs fly. I didn’t even have to do anything.”
Bang ‘Em Smurf explained that he felt 50 Cent’s quick rise to fame and fortune was the reason for their initial problems with each other. Bang ‘Em Smurf claimed that he was blackballed, and that 50 turned his back on old friends once he got to the top.
“You know, everything was good at one point. When we ain’t have nothing – like the mixtape days, before Em and Dre – everything was beautiful,” said Bang ‘Em Smurf. “He got that money so fast, I think it’s the bread that f##### son up. Son got an ego problem already, but when he got that money he really started feeling himself like he was a boss or something. It’s cool to feel like that, but you can’t s### on your homies, the people you grew up with. He ain’t only s### on me – everybody that I had with me [at Summer Jam], he knew everybody’s faces. All of us used to be G-Unit. (See Interview – Bang’em Smurf: Life after G-Unit https://allhiphop.com/features/?ID=747)
At the end of the day, everyone went home safely, and Bang ‘Em Smurf does not intend to dwell on the situation.
“I know what we’re capable of, and I know our progress is incredible,” he explained. “We got a label deal in less than a year. ( See News – Bang ‘Em Smurf Aligns With Suge Knight https://allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=3174) That’s why he’s upset – I don’t care what he says. He’s got all that money, but he’s not happy. I feel better as a man, accomplishing s### on my own, taking care of my family. I’m not trying to feed off 50, I’m making music.”