There were many amazing scenes from this week’s Jay-Z/Eminem concert at Detroit’s Comerica Park – Shady and Hov on stage together, a public performance by Dr. Dre, a veritable who’s who of Hip Hop performances – but perhaps none more interesting than an image showing 50 Cent and Jay-Z chopping it up backstage.

The image, courtesy of thelifefiles.com, is one of many from a night that will go down in Hip Hop history. But behind the picture lies over a decade’s worth of history of what could be the greatest beef that never happened.

In an interview with MTV News, 50 failed to provide much concrete information about the conversation – which, perhaps, says more than if he had. “I know people were interested in what that conversation was like,” said Fif. “But they can ask Jay-Z. I take people’s actions as if it’s genuinely how they feel. I can only use what I saw you do as if that’s what you meant. I can’t understand what your motivation was prior to that.”

HipHopDX | Rap & Hip Hop News | Ad Placeholder
AD

AD LOADING...

AD

The well-documented tension between Jay and 50 began with 50’s 1999 Hit, “How To Rob,” a tongue-in-cheek track about the Queens rapper making his living by robbing fellow emcees.

Jay-Z, who was named in song, responded with a line of his own in “It’s Hot (Some Like it Hot)”: “Going against Jigga yo’ ass is dense/ I’m about a dollar, what the fuck is 50 Cents?”

HipHopDX | Rap & Hip Hop News | Ad Placeholder
AD

AD LOADING...

AD

In the years since, Jay and 50 have traded jabs, including 50 telling Hot 97’s Angie Martinez that Jay-Z was Hip Hop’s “coolest punk,” and Jay-Z telling Trevor Nelson of BBC, “Nobody is scared of 50 Cent.”

You cans see more images from the concert at thelifefiles.com.