Peacekeepers: Rap Beef Mediators
The stars who have played hip hop diplomats.
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DJ Kay Slay - Leave it to a DJ to save hip hop. New York's, DJ Kay Slay made a move to secure the peace between two of the city's biggest crown bearers when he put 50 Cent and Fat Joe on the same track, "Free Again," off his upcoming Rhyme or Die album. This is the first time that they've appeared on record together, nearly a decade after they started beefing tangentially to Fif's feud with Ja Rule. And though Fif and Joe managed to keep their beef on wax, it wouldn't be the first time someone had to step in to get rappers to see eye to eye. Read on to see who else has played musical peacekeeper.(Photos from left: Moses Robinson/Getty Images for BET, Andy Kropa/Getty Images)
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Snoop - Who says rap is all about beef? Snoop took the vegetarian route when it came to Waka Flocka Flame, who had been talking smack about Snoop's little homie and collaborator Wiz Khalifa. "I'ma holla at Waka Flocka. That's where big Uncle Snoop come in at," Snoop said. "We ain't about that negativity and none of that beef. We too old for that."(Photos: Chris McKay/Getty Images; Tom Donoghue/PictureGroup; Jeff Daly/PictureGroup)
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Michael Jackson - In 2009, Game revealed that the King of Pop himself called him and offered to set up a sit-down with 50 Cent to end their infamous feud.(Photos: Graham Denholm/Getty Images; Havakuk Levison/Landov; Terrence Jennings/PictureGroup)
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Jimmy Iovine - Game and 50's boss, Interscope CEO Jimmy Iovine has also long been trying to get the two to kiss and make up—and make some money in the process. Game told Complex that Iovine compares him and 50 to Paul McCartney and John Lennon: "Jimmy always says, 'Thanks for breaking up the Beatles, man. You guys are worth more together. So I don't know what the f--k you guys are doing. Whenever you guys want to f--kin' get your heads out your a--es, come sit down and take a meeting, make some money, we can talk."
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Minister Louis Farrakhan - In one of rap's earlier mediations, the Nation of Islam's Minister Louis Farrakhan helped dead a heated war of words between Common and Ice Cube by arranging a pow-wow at his Chicago mansion.(Photos: J.D. Pooley/Getty Images; Bill Pugliano/Getty Images; Kristian Dowling/PictureGroup)
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Minister Louis Farrakhan - Farrakhan lit up the peace pipe one again in 2003, attempting unsuccessfully to broker a truce between 50 Cent and Ja Rule. Ja and the minister even had a televised discussion about the beef on MTV, although 50 refused to do the same.(Photos: Retna; Ric Francis-Pool/Getty Images; Landov)
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Mark Pitts - Record exec Mark Pitts, who used to manage Jay Z's old homie the Notorious B.I.G. before working with Nas, helped Hov and Esco end their epic battle by mediating a sit-down at Baseline Studios, and then helping to arrange the two's legendary "I Decalre War" peace-making performance in 2005.(Photos: Vince Bucci/PictureGroup; Larry Busacca/Getty Images; Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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Game - Game, one of rap's biggest instigators, switched hats by playing peacemaker after Chris Brown and Odd Future engaged in a good old Twitter beef. "[You're] just starting what can be a long successful career…Don’t f--k it up by beefin'...FOCUS!!!" he told Tyler, the Creator and Frank Ocean, before addressing Breezy: "Focus on 'YOU' blood. BEEF aint getting n---as nowhere these days. All you do is LOSE endorsements, appearances and opportunities."(Photos: Anthony Harvey/PictureGroup; Terrence Jennings/PictureGroup; Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup)
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Just Blaze - Producer Just Blaze, who had worked with both rappers, made moves behind the scenes to end the simmering beef between Joe Budden and Saigon, and eventually recruited the two to rhyme together on a song he produced, "Bring Me Down." (Photos: WENN.com; Moses Mitchell/BET; Mat Szwajkos/Getty Images)
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DJ Khaled - DJ Khaled really is the best — at mediating, at least. Kreayshawn and Ross both separately revealed that Khaled acted as a go-between to end their bizarro tiff — and that she owed him a steak dinner as a result.(Photos: Jason Merritt/Getty Images; Brad Barket/PictureGroup; Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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