Knicks Dragged Into 50 Cent, Ja Rule Feud

Rapper Ja Rule wants to see better defense played at Madison Square Garden but his issues appear to lie with the ticket office and security rather than the residing New York Knicks.

MSG played host to not only the budding rivalry between the Knicks and Detroit Pistons on Monday night but also the ongoing feud between Ja Rule and fellow rapper 50 Cent. With the latter in attendance and highlight by MSG's "GardenVision" videoboard, the Knicks dropped a 100-94 decision to Detroit, knotting their best-of-seven quarterfinal series at a game apiece.

50 Cent's presence was noted by Ja Rule, who blamed his fellow Queens native metropolitan heartbreak.

"Man I knew my Knicks was gonna lose as soon as I seen that black cat (rat) in the building…." Ja Rule said in a postgame X remark, capping his quote off with a laughing emoji.

The feud between Ja Rule and 50 Cent dates back to the turn-of-the-century and reached its peak in the early 2000s. The rivalry recently returned when Ja Rule criticized 50 Cent taking jabs at record producer and Ja Rule's longtime collaborator Irv Gotti after the latter's passing in February. Ja Rule apparently wasn't willing to consider a coincidence as the Knicks dropped a vital second game to the Pistons.

Despite the Knicks' defeat, the night was not a total loss for 50 Cent: multiple reports stated that 50 Cent was able to soothe relations with Joe Budden, a rapper and presenter who likewise took offense to the Gotti reaction. Budden appeared to be sitting behind 50 Cent when he was introduced to the crowd during a break in second period action and the two were later seen embracing as the night went on.

50 Cent hinted at peace with Budden in an Instagram post depicting his appearance on GardenVision, playfully referencing the fact that the two suggested that each needed to sit with a professional during their prior hostilities.

"I ran into Joe at the game," 50 Cent said in his accompanying caption. "He said I don’t need Therapy No MORE!"