What if Tupac Shakur had never Died: 50 Cent

Perhaps more than any other musical figure, there has not been another rapper influenced by Tupac as much as 50 Cent without ever knowing him. The same people who helped Tupac make hits have helped 50 Cent make hits. Early in the career of 50 Cent, some people tried to compare him to Tupac. While he was flattered, 50 Cent denied those comparisons.

However, in a lot of his early music, 50 Cent referenced Tupac. In fact, he built his feud with Ja Rule on his similarities to Tupac Shakur. Ja had risen to become a star in 2002. Because he was the biggest star in the game, Ja Rule was looking to become a legend. Known for his braids, the rapper shaved his head bald and he bulked up. In addition to going bald and building a muscular frame, Rule got many tattoos all over his body.

On his 2002 album, The Last Temptation, Ja Rule began to rap as if he and Tupac knew each other and he said that if Tupac were still alive that they would both be taking on such people as 50 Cent. During his feud with DMX, he even got heated and said that he was the reincarnated version of Tupac. It was statements like these, not his constant singing, that laid the groundwork for his demise. This is what turned the fans off and they needed someone to represent them. 50 Cent marketed himself as a hardcore rapper, much like Tupac, but not trying to be him. Instead, 50 Cent showed himself as a rapper who had respect for Shakur. He used the Ja Rule imitations against Ja Rule and became a star.

But, if Tupac Shakur had never died, Ja Rule never would have had the feeling that he could become the reincarnated version of Shakur. Instead, Rule would have stayed the course of his Venni Vetti Vecci album and there would have been no basis for attack from 50 Cent. So, all of the accomplishments, and the hit records, from 50 Cent may have never happened if Tupac Shakur had never died.