Fat Joe’s former hype man, Terrance “T.A.” Dixon, is suing the NYC rapper for $20 million, and the legal complaint alleges that he attempted to hire someone to murder 50 Cent during the height of their beef. Fat Joe has denied the allegations in the lawsuit in a statement shared by his lawyer.
In the lawsuit, which Complex has reviewed, Dixon accused Fat Joe of engaging in a pattern of behavior that included multiple implied threats against his life. “These acts were not isolated or impulsive—they were strategic and methodically issued to assert dominance and protect [his] status in the entertainment industry,” reads the lawsuit. “That pattern also includes an alleged murder-for-hire plot targeting Curtis Jackson [50 Cent].”`
As alleged in the lawsuit—which accuses the Bronx-born rapper of “coercive labor exploitation, financial fraud, sexual manipulation, violent intimidation, and psychological coercion”—the murder-for-hire plot occurred in either 2006 or 2007. The two rappers had been in a beef since at least 2002 because of Joe’s association with Ja Rule, with whom 50 Cent is still beefing with. Although the rappers are friendly these days, apparently their animosity was severe enough that Joe allegedly sought to end his rival’s life, at least according to the lawsuit’s unverified claims.
“[Fat Joe] engaged in a calculated and premeditated conspiracy to murder rapper Curtis Jackson, known professionally as ’50 Cent,'” reads the lawsuit. “Around the winter of 2006–2007, Defendant Cartagena was residing in Miami when he received a call reporting 50 Cent’s presence at a New York venue. Defendant Cartagena ordered the hit, but 50 Cent was surrounded by ‘Navy Seal’ type security, and the would-be assassins were afraid to make the attempt.”
The lawsuit accuses Fat Joe of openly admitting that he placed “a bag on 50 Cent’s head,” and that he “expressed frustration that he had not yet succeeded in executing the plot. He also allegedly told his associates that he had been “trying to get this n***a for a minute,” something he allegedly admitted at his home in Miami.
“The defendant was visibly distraught and shaking when discussing the plot’s failure, suggesting not only intent and active planning but also direct coordination with individuals acting on his behalf,” the lawsuit continues. “The plot involved tracking 50 Cent’s movements via his performance schedule and attempting to ambush him at multiple public venues. … The attempted assassination is consistent with the Enterprise’s pattern of retaliatory violence against perceived disloyalty, disrespect, or competition.”
In the rest of the $20 million lawsuit, Fat Joe was accused of forcing his former hypeman “into humiliating situations” that included recorded sex acts and “threats of abandonment in foreign countries if [he] refused compliance.” He also said he witnessed Fat Joe have sexual relationships with underage girls as young as 15 years old.
“The lawsuit filed by Tyrone Blackburn and Terrance Dixon is a blatant act of retaliation,” said Fat Joe’s lawyer Joe Tacopina, who also recently represented ASAP Rocky, in a statement shared with The Independent. “The allegations against Mr. Cartagena are complete fabrications — lies intended to damage his reputation and force a settlement through public pressure. Mr. Cartagena will not be intimidated. We have taken legal action to expose this fraudulent campaign and hold everyone involved accountable.”
