Fat Joe was recently targeted by 50 Cent’s Instagram followers after he commented on the G-Unit mogul’s recent streaming record.
In a post 50 Cent re-shared to his profile, the Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ rapper celebrated his song “Candy Shop” joining Spotify’s billion streams club. In the comment section, Fat Joe got himself some unexpected attention by writing a remark that suggests Fifty owes part of the song’s success to him.
“It’s time for a Ty gift [crying laughing emoji],” Fat Joe wrote in the comment. Almost immediately, 50 Cent’s followers bombarded Joe with replies to his comment seemingly diminishing his contribution to the song.
“@fatjoe you passed on the beat Crack,” one user wrote in a comment. “That’s your bad fam.” Another added, “You should’ve kept it.”
In a previous interview, Scott Storch shared that “Candy Shop” was initially crafted for Fat Joe.
“I was making it actually for Fat Joe, and Joe was cool with the song, but he wasn’t in love with it,” he explained. “So he passed on the record.”
According to Storch, once 50 Cent heard the beat, he immediately knew it was something special.
“When 50 Cent came to the studio, I played him the ‘Candy Shop’ beat,” he said. “He immediately went crazy.” They created some melodies and lyrics and the whole “Candy Shop” concept. Storch emphasized that he produced the beat in its entirety, from the string line to the final mix, leaving no ambiguity about his role in the creation of the hit.
During his own livestream, Fat Joe admitted that he never intended to claim full credit for producing the track but did feel that his input had some influence on the song’s formation. “I made Candy Shop,” Joe said humorously before explaining how the song came to be.
Fat Joe shared a story of being in the studio with Storch and helping shape certain musical elements. “I said, ‘Yo, do the beat to that. We need some muthafuckin’ belly dance music.'” Despite his input, Joe acknowledged that Storch ultimately produced the track and deserved the lion’s share of the credit.
“Did I take credit for producing that beat with him?” Joe questioned rhetorically. “No, but if you’re in the industry, you know that is producing. It’s cool. Scott, you’re the king.”
Joe also revealed that after he passed on the beat, 50 Cent’s team quickly swooped in. “Scott Storch called me 50 times, ‘Yo, 50 Cent just came in after you… He wants the beat.’ I said, ‘Let him have it,'” Fat Joe recalled, explaining that at the time, he and 50 Cent were on good terms.
“Candy Shop” went on to become one of 50 Cent’s biggest hits. Released as the second single from his album The Massacre in 2005, the song dominated the charts, peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and staying in the Top 10 for nine consecutive weeks. It also achieved multi-platinum status, with the RIAA certifying the track as triple platinum, cementing its place in Hip-Hop history. Despite the behind-the-scenes drama and multiple versions of how the song came together, “Candy Shop” remains a classic.