Hurricane Chris has publicly called out 50 Cent over alleged disrespect towards Shreveport, Louisiana, his hometown, during the recent Humor & Harmony festival organized by the G-Unit boss.
The “A Bay Bay” rapper criticized 50 Cent for not booking any local artists for the event. Their spat escalated when 50 Cent responded with mocking posts on social media.
In a KSLA 12 interview, Hurricane Chris elaborated on his grievances. He explained that his issues began when 50 Cent expressed his desire to eliminate Shreveport’s ‘ratchet’ reputation.
“First off, let me start by saying that it’s no hate for 50 Cent. The Humor & Harmony festival, I’m glad it happened. I’m glad 50 Cent came to Shreveport,” he began. “But where he went wrong…the first thing he started to voice was, ‘No more ratchet. This ain’t ratchet city anymore.’ If you know anything about the Shreveport history, you know we call ourselves the Ratchet City. And when a person says that, they don’t mean that this is a dirty, nasty place.”
https://www.tiktok.com/@user/video/2024Chris highlighted the cultural importance of the term ‘ratchet’ for Shreveport, mentioning the late rapper Ratchet Life, who was a local icon. “It was a great disrespect for you to come into this city and say, ‘We’re getting the ratchet out of the city.’ We have people under this ground buried that have that attached to their name and their legacy,” he said, adding that the term is part of the city’s identity.
He further emphasized that other cities have their own nicknames. “You couldn’t go to New York and say, ‘This ain’t the Big Apple.’ You couldn’t go to New Orleans and say, ‘We’re not naming this the Big Easy.’ You couldn’t go to Dallas and say, ‘We’re not calling this D-Town anymore.'”
Hurricane Chris also requested a meeting with 50 Cent to clear up the misunderstanding, hoping to educate him about the local culture. “I just want to sit down with 50…it’s actually our culture and something we have grown to be proud of. And I think the people that 50 is around may not be leading him into the right direction in knowing our culture,” he said.
“I’m willing to work with him. I think it’s a big misunderstanding and we actually need to sit down. Maybe I could take you to my grandma’s house and let her give you some real soul food,” Chris offered, adding that he could handle the jokes 50 made about him on Instagram.
He also clarified his criticism regarding the festival’s lineup, noting that the local artists who performed were not paid and had to perform under a bridge, not on the main stage. “A lot of artists performed but they performed for free. The Shreveport artists that performed had to perform for free under a bridge — not even in the big stage arena,” he said.
Chris admitted his frustration stemmed from the lack of compensation for local artists who have put in years of work. However, he clarified that he had no issues with the money spent on police security for the event.
“I was not upset towards that. We need to be safe,” he said. “I hundred percent agree with the spending the money on safety so the community can be safe. That’s money well spent.”
In the end, Hurricane Chris’s grievances with 50 Cent go beyond just the festival lineup; they touch on deeper issues of cultural respect and local identity. He remains open to dialogue, hoping for a resolution that honors Shreveport’s unique heritage.
