50 Cent says older rappers shouldn’t expect to stay on top. Rick Ross says age doesn’t matter

The longtime rivals are taking opposing sides in a bigger conversation about longevity in hip-hop.

50 Cent says older rappers should not expect to remain at the top of hip-hop, arguing that the genre is fundamentally tied to youth culture. The rapper and television mogul, whose career will be revisited in a forthcoming Hulu docuseries, shared those comments during an appearance on Apple Music 1’s “Rap Life Review” during the Donell Jones and Joe Verzuz event.

“Hip-hop culture is connected to youth culture,” 50 told Ebro Darden and Nadeska Alexis. “You are not supposed to be the hottest in nothing at 60.”

The rapper, who turned 51 in July, said he still enjoys making music but now views new songs as occasional entries meant to remind listeners that he can still perform at a high level. He also criticized veteran artists who release albums that struggle commercially and later frame them as personal projects that were never intended to compete.

Rick Ross disagreed with that view, using Southern rap legends Bun B and the late Pimp C to argue that age should not decide when an artist stops recording, Complex reported.

Ross said “the South won’t let Bun B stop rapping” and argued that, if Pimp C were alive, fans would still support new music from him even at an advanced age.

For Ross, the deciding factor is whether an artist still has a meaningful connection with listeners and the culture. He dismissed age as the determining factor, saying, “f—k what your age is.”

The comments continue a position 50 has expressed before. In February, he told Rolling Stone that he did not think a rapper should have the best verse at age 50, again connecting hip-hop to youth culture.

The debate also arrives during another stretch of public sparring between him and Ross. The longtime rivals have traded insults in recent weeks over Ross’ “Set In Stone” album sales, wealth and business ventures.

Ross’ latest response, however, broadens the argument beyond their feud. His position is that veteran rappers can keep creating as long as audiences still want the music and the artists continue contributing something distinctive to hip-hop.