You may have seen this tweet many times by now: “Who is the messiest person you know? It’s a man, isn’t it?” If you want to get even more specific, “It’s 50 Cent, isn’t it?”
In 50 Cent’s latest foray into messiness, he decided to target Lil’ Kim’s BET Awards 2021 Prada bayang look by reposting a meme that likened her to an owl. Yikes.
“Who did this shit, 👀this ain’t right. LOL catch FOR LIFE on IMDb Tv now !” the “I Get Messy”—er, I mean, “I Get Money”—rapper wrote in his Instagram. Speaking of which, “who did this shit” is probably the most popular passive-aggressive way to shade someone these days, I see.
Lil’ Kim, who is no stranger to a clapback as a fellow rapper, had a response.
“Shit like this don’t move me one way or another cause I’m still a bad bitch that niggaz bitches, mommies, daughters and aunties still want to be ‘till this day and I love it!!” Kim exclaimed on her own Instagram page, noting that her family is definitely more upset about the insult than she is.
Then came the jugular hit:
“@50cent I see u still in ur feels about that dinner date u asked me on that I had to turn down. Let it go, u have a beautiful girlfriend, I have a loving husband. Let it go.”
Oop! She dodged that messy shade like her “Quiet Storm” dance and offered a read in return!
Of course, when it comes to the evolution of Lil Kim’s look, it typically sparks a conversation surrounding the unfair beauty standards heaped upon Black women, especially when they reach a certain level of success and notoriety. In a 2000 Newsweek interview, Kim said, “Guys always cheated on me with women who were European-looking. You know, the long-haired type. Really beautiful women [who] left me thinking, ‘How I can I compete with that?’ Being a regular Black girl wasn’t good enough.”
While Kim has spoken on her self-esteem and insecurities, she has also asserted agency over her choice to undergo physically enhancing surgery.
“That surgery was the most pain I’ve ever been in in my life,” she added at the time. “But people made such a big deal about it. White women get them every day. It was to make me look the way I wanted to look. It’s my body.”
Mic drop.