NEWS
Tony Yayo once again showed why G-Unit and Ja Rule will never reconcile. In an interview with DJ Vlad, Yayo and Vlad had a discussion about the greatest rapper of all time. Dr. Dre recently called Eminem the greatest to ever do it. Yayo co-signed Dre's opinion, adding that he had Em in his top five, but couldn't disagree with Dre's opinion. He talked about the value of statistics, mentioning that Eminem is still breaking records nearly a quarter of a century into his mainstream career. He uttered a familiar phrase: "men lie, women lie, numbers don't," suggesting a belief that commercial success is the greatest measure of a rapper's status in the industry.
The conversation between Vlad and Tony Yayo went from the greatest rapper of all time to Yayo creating his Mount Rushmore of Queens rappers. The two of them went through a list. They did not quite settle on a Mount Rushmore, but Vlad was quick to note that Ja Rule's name did not come up. Vlad argued that Ja should be in conversations over the Lost Boys. Especially if one of Yayo's own measures for success is how well one performs commercially. For a period, Ja Rule was among the most popular rappers around, along with DMX, OutKast, Eminem, and of course, 50 Cent.
"He was like the industry plant early, Ja Rule [...]," said Tony Yayo in the clip. "Ja Rule was a buster to me. I don't know him. He's from the other side of town. He's a buster to me, and he's still a buster. Irv [Gotti]'s a buster, Irv's brother's a buster, and they're all busters to me." When questioned about Ja's ability to sell records at his peak, Yayo responded by calling him a buster again. He disregarded his sales and reiterated that the Lost Boys deserve to be on that list instead of him.
Tony Yayo's response is not surprising. The 50 Cent-led G-unit camp and Ja Rule have had issues for over twenty years. 50, along with Eminem, contributed greatly to ending Ja's run as a commercially viable rapper, with a series of diss tracks that kneecapped his credibility. Em once again took aim at him on The Death of Slim Shady. With this interview, Yayo is the latest 50 Cent affiliate to remind fans that the participants in this long-running beef will probably never reach a truce.
Sharleen Spiteri joined BBC Radio 2’s The Sara Cox Breakfast Show ahead of Texas taking the stage to launch the main live music programme at Radio 2 in the Park in Stirling.
Checking in from rehearsals, the Texas frontwoman spoke about getting ready for the band’s opening performance at City Park. Radio 2’s annual flagship festival takes place there from 11 to 13 September 2026. "I’m match fit because I’ve had a couple of days’ rehearsals," Spiteri said. "We’re kicking the whole weekend off, which we’re very much looking forward to, so everybody’s got to get ready to party."
Before the live acts take over, Friday’s DJ Pre-Party gets the weekend started with Radio 2 favourites Sara Cox, DJ Spoony, Gary Davies, Michelle Visage, and Rylan behind the decks.
Jo Whiley helped set the mood with a special programme from Stirling’s Tolbooth venue. Working with BBC Introducing Scotland, the broadcast put the spotlight on Scotland’s emerging music scene through performances and conversations with Fright Years, Alice Faye, and James Emmanuel.
Fright Years, a four member band from Edinburgh, played "Never Been Wrong" and offered their take on Simple Minds’ "Waterfront." Glasgow singer and songwriter Alice Faye, the BBC Introducing in Scotland 2026 winner, paired "Some Brief Encounter" with a rendition of Lulu’s arrangement of "I Started a Joke." James Emmanuel, who was born in Nigeria and now lives in Edinburgh, sang "Brothers & Sisters" before taking on Chaka Khan’s "I’m Every Woman."
"We’re all about celebrating BBC Introducing and all the music that’s come out of Scotland," Whiley told listeners. "It's about celebrating the local music scene and the incredibly important work that BBC Introducing does to support independent, up-and-coming artists."
Joining the conversation were Stephanie Cheape, presenter of BBC Introducing in Scotland, Tara McLoughlin, venue manager for Stirling Council, and student radio presenters representing the University of Stirling’s Air3 Radio.
Listeners can catch the complete interviews and live performances from the weekend’s programmes on BBC Sounds.
