Let’s be real for a second. If you were around in 2003, you couldn’t go ten minutes without hearing that distinctive, pulsing bassline of "Magic Stick." It was everywhere. It was the kind of track that defined an era of New York dominance. But if you look at the history of 50 Cent and Lil Kim, it’s not exactly a story of two industry titans riding off into the sunset together. Far from it.
Honestly, the relationship between these two is one of the weirdest, most prolonged "almost-friendships" in hip-hop history. They have this strange, magnetic tension that has lasted over two decades. You’ve got a massive hit song that never got a music video, a decade of petty Instagram trolling, and claims of a "dinner date" gone wrong that supposedly sparked a twenty-year grudge. It’s messy. It’s complicated. And it’s quintessentially Curtis Jackson.
The Magic Stick Mess: Why We Never Got a Video
You’d think a song that peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100—only held back by Beyoncé’s "Crazy in Love"—would have a high-budget, flashy music video. Especially in the early 2000s when music videos were everything. But the 50 Cent and Lil Kim collaboration remains one of the biggest "what ifs" because the video simply never happened.
Why? Well, it depends on who you ask.
50 Cent later rapped about it in a Hot 97 freestyle, basically saying he gave Kim a hit, he didn't want to shoot the video, and she "threw a fit." He was pretty blunt about it: "Why would I care 'bout your emotions, you're not my b*tch." Classic 50. But Kim has a different version of the story. According to her, the friction started because of a personal rejection. She’s claimed in several interviews—and more recently in her memoir—that 50 actually asked her out on a dinner date.
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She turned him down.
At the time, Kim was involved with Damion "World" Hardy. If you know that name, you know things were heavy. Kim’s theory is that 50 Cent, being the petty king he is, couldn't handle the "no" and decided to tank the promotion for "Magic Stick" out of spite.
A Song Meant for Someone Else?
Here’s a detail that doesn't get talked about enough: 50 didn't even write "Magic Stick" for Kim. In a 2023 interview with Apple Music's Rebecca Judd, 50 revealed the track was originally meant for his debut masterpiece, Get Rich or Die Tryin'. He actually sent it to Trina first.
"They f***ed up the record, they sent it back... Then Gee Robeson came and got it from me, heard the record and was like, 'Yo, I need this for Kim.'"
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So, one of Kim's biggest hits was essentially a hand-me-down that 50 gave up because he was too busy becoming the biggest artist on the planet. That kind of dynamic rarely leads to a healthy working relationship.
The Trolling That Never Ends
Fast forward nearly twenty years, and the beef didn't die; it just moved to Instagram. In 2021, 50 Cent went on a spree of trolling Kim that felt surprisingly personal, even for him. He posted a side-by-side of Kim at the BET Awards compared to an owl. Then he compared her stage dancing to the character from the Leprechaun movies.
Kim didn't just sit there. She clapped back, calling him "creepy" and "obsessed." She even joked that it felt like she was in a "lesbian quarrel" because of how much 50 was acting like a "bitter girlfriend."
It’s a weird cycle. They’ll be "cool" for a year—they even recorded a sequel called "Wanna Lick" in 2008 and were seen in the studio together in 2011—but then 50 will post something unhinged on social media and the cycle starts all over again.
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The Real Impact of the Feud
Beyond the jokes, this feud actually mattered for their careers. "Magic Stick" was supposed to be the launchpad for Kim’s album La Bella Mafia. Without the video, the momentum stalled a bit. For 50, it was just another day in the office, but for Kim, it felt like a calculated move to stifle her "Queen Bee" energy.
- Collaboration Gold: When they actually worked together, the chemistry was undeniable. Their voices complemented that gritty, sexy New York sound perfectly.
- The Power of Petty: This is a case study in how personal ego can derail business. A "Magic Stick" video would have likely gone #1 and made everyone more money.
- Legacy: Today, they represent two different pillars of the 2000s. 50 is the mogul; Kim is the blueprint for almost every female rapper out now.
What You Can Learn from the 50 and Kim Saga
If you’re looking at this from a business or creative perspective, there’s a lot to take away. First, ego is a budget killer. If 50 and Kim had put aside the "dinner date" drama (whatever the truth is), they could have built a dominant duo.
Second, leverage your hits. Even without a video, "Magic Stick" is a classic. It shows that a great song can survive bad management, but it won't reach its full potential.
If you're a fan of this era, the best thing you can do is go back and actually listen to the lyricism on their collaborations. Beyond the drama, they were both at the absolute top of their game. Check out "Wanna Lick" if you've only ever heard the radio hits—it’s a reminder of what happens when they actually get along. Keep an eye on 50’s socials, too; in his world, a "diss" is often just a weird way of showing he's still paying attention.
To really understand the nuance of their history, it’s worth reading Lil Kim’s memoir, The Queen Bee. She goes into much more detail about the specific night 50 allegedly tried to move on her and how that changed their professional trajectory forever. Understanding the "why" behind the pettiness makes the music sound a lot different.