FAT JOE - FAT JOE HITS BACK AT 50 CENT'S MOCK FUNERAL VIDEO

FAT JOE HITS BACK AT 50 CENT'S MOCK FUNERAL VIDEO

LATEST: FAT JOE has fired back at his rap rival 50 CENT by featuring the star and his G-UNIT counterparts on the cover of his new mixtape - all wearing make-up. The digitally-altered image is set to appear on Gay Unit Vol. 1, a compilation by Terror Squad affiliate DJ Suge White hosted by the crew's frontman Fat Joe. In the CD artwork, 50 Cent - real name Curtis Jackson - is pictured in a tight embrace with Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo with lipstick smeared on their faces. Yayo, a former convict, is shown with an "I Miss Jail" tattoo on his shoulder and Banks is portrayed with a portrait of 50 on his bicep with the word "Delicious" directly underneath. Gay Unit Vol. 1 is a direct response to 50's latest video attack on Joe, in which the In Da Club hitmaker holds a mock funeral for the heavyweight star and claims his career is over. In the video footage, posted on his website ThisIs50.com, 50 claims his spoof mixtape Elephant In The Sand - a play on Joe's album title The Elephant In The Room - scored 700,000 downloads last week (ends21Mar08), while his competitor's official album only debuted with 46,000 copies in the same period. And in another Internet video hitting back at 50, Joe accuses the rap superstar of cheating in his sales claims - because his mixtape was available for free. In the new video clip, which was posted on YouTube.com, Joe's camp claims 50's label, Interscope Records, provided a budget of $27 million (GBP13.5 million) for his third album Curtis, with losses totalling $22.6 million (GBP11.3 million) for the project. These figures are then compared to Joe's independent release, which allegedly made $50,674 (GBP25,462) net profit from first week sales. And in the last part of the video, Joe implies 50 is no longer at the top of his game. The still reads: "Congratulations, Curtis. You bragging about FREE downloads now? How mighty have fallen (sic)."