50 Cent may have just set a new standard for petty Super Bowl advertising, using a DoorDash campaign as a vehicle to revisit some of the most famous feuds of his career.
The rapper and media mogul, also known as Curtis Jackson, leaned fully into his reputation for trolling in a Super Bowl weekend campaign that has already drawn attention for its pointed visual jokes.
What appeared to be throwaway props were packed with references that longtime fans immediately recognised.
Why the DoorDash commercial crossed into personal territory
In the ad, 50 Cent pulls out a bag of Cheese Puffs and a package of combs while joking about not wanting to be too obvious.
Those items were clear references to Sean Combs, also known previously as Puff Daddy and Puffy, with the Cheese Puffs nodding to his nickname and the combs playing on his surname.
The jokes land with added weight given Combs’ current situation, as he is presently in prison facing a range of serious charges.
Jackson has remained outspoken about Combs in recent years and recently served as an executive producer on a Netflix documentary examining allegations and controversies surrounding Combs’ alleged misgivings and wrongdoings.
Ja Rule and Floyd Mayweather callback adds another layer to the trolling
Viewers also noticed a prominently featured clock in the commercial, which was widely interpreted as a reference to rapper Ja Rule.
The clock nods to one of hip hop’s most famous rivalries, as 50 Cent and Ja Rule were locked in a heated feud throughout the early 2000s.
That conflict produced a series of diss tracks and public jabs, with prevailing public opinion long holding that 50 Cent emerged as the clear winner.
On top of that, a book of ABCs is a nod to Floyd Mayweather Jr., the legendary boxer who 50 Cent once accused of not being able to read, something Mayweather Jr. never addressed.
By combining references to both Combs, Ja Rule, and Floyd Mayweather in a single Super Bowl adjacent campaign, Jackson appeared to deliberately revisit multiple chapters of his feud-filled past.
The DoorDash commercial will not air during the Super Bowl broadcast itself, but its timing and layered symbolism have ensured it dominates online discussion ahead of the game.
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