Ya Heard: 50 Cent’s feud with Rick Ross over the top

"Never ascribe to an opponent motives meaner than your own."

—John M. Barrie

I've avoided addressing this but the 50 Cent-Rick Ross feud is beginning to get a bit out of hand. I did not want to touch on this because who really cares about a hip-hop beef these days?

But this situation has become interesting. First off, 50 Cent is no stranger to confrontation. After bullying Ja Rule completely out of the business, releasing a taped phone conversation of his for-mer artist Young Buck crying to him and surviving multiple gunshot wounds prior to his meteoric rise to superstardom, it's fair to say 50 Cent is battle tested.

For the last few months, 50 Cent has been entangled in a heated exchange of words and wit with Miami-based emcee Rick Ross. Last summer was a difficult one for Ross after it was discovered the highly-successful hip-hop artist had worked as a corrections officer in Miami-Dade County during the mid-'90s. Amidst the accusations, Sir Ricky Ross made the mistake of denying any truth to the photos, documents and rumors, and was adamant he had never worked as a corrections officer—a claim he would later retract.

The incident caught the attention of hip hop's No. 1 bully: 50 Cent, who has since begun a blistering attack against Ross, or as 50 calls him, "Officer Ricky."

This "hip-hop beef" is taking on a life of its own. Personal insults are no stranger to hip-hop battles, or everyday quarrels for that matter, but putting people's families and per-sonal relationships into the equation is a very touchy subject.

Last month 50 posted an Internet video featuring the mother of Ross' first child. In the video, 50 interviews Tia Kemp, who airs all her dirty laundry with her former lover, Rick Ross. She said Ross is broke and calls him a deadbeat dad.

Following the interview, cameras follow 50 as he takes Kemp on an extravagant shopping spree while he makes degrading comments at Ross. Sounds pretty bad right? It gets worse!

Just last week, 50 released an X-rated video featuring the mother of Rick Ross' second child. Yup, that's two! Apparently the tape was filmed last summer and is accompanied by commentary from 50 Cent's alter-ego Pimpin' Curly, a character he created specifi-cally for his on-going feud with Ross.

Now, I've witnessed quite a few hip-hop battles, but I've never seen anything like this. In the past, hip-hop battles have been known to get personal. However, following the deaths of Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G., who were at the center of a volatile "East Coast vs. West Coast" war in the mid- to late-'90s, hip-hop toned it down. The question with this 50 Cent-Rick Ross situation is when does the entertainment value begin to raise red flags, and if not now, then when?

Hip-hop wars, rap battles, beefs, or whatever you want to call, them are the underbelly of all those catchy rap tunes you hear on your radio from time to time. While they can get ugly and offensive, they are also a competitive force.

With that being said, it is hard to defend 50's actions. As a hip-hop fan, I'm enter-tained, as an adult, I'm a bit alarmed. Ross kept his cool when answering questions about the interview with his first child's mother.

"You gotta understand, she has never made more than $300 a week in her life." Ross said. "Why would I stand between her making a few dollars with this monkey?"

OK… but let's be careful. It is important not to feed into beef tactics because frankly, this is how people get killed…'Til next week, Peace!!!

Dennis Winn can be reached at 703-200-4928 or .