Just because this guy has some money, he’s got everyone who’s supposed to be real chasing after his goals. This is a problem, J. Prince, and I’ve got to tell you: if you’re 60 years old and still trying to play the street thug, you’ve failed. You failed, you failed, you failed.
I never thought this feud between Shakur Stevenson and Mason Cam’ron would go this far, but here we are. Now J. Prince is involved, and his son Drake is jumping in too. It’s turning into a real mess. Drake’s even beefing with Kendrick Lamar right now. This isn’t the first time Drake’s gotten into something like this, and now he’s telling Kendrick, “Who do you think you are to tell us what we can and can’t say?”
In case you’re lost, here’s the scoop: Shakur had a fight with Artm Harutan and won easily. But instead of celebrating, his performance got criticized again for being boring. People are straight up calling him dull. Mason Cam’ron was one of those critics, saying, “I don’t want to see Shakur fight. No disrespect to Newark, but I don’t want to watch Shakur fight anyone. Seriously, for someone hanging out with Terrence Crawford and Andre Ward, there’s no excuse for him to fight the way he does.”
Shakur wasn’t here for the criticism, especially from Mase and Cam’ron. So, he took to X and went on a three-hour rant about them, responding to users who engaged with him. Yes, three hours. First, he went off about Mase’s career, saying, “Same way I felt about his rap career, ninja more famous for his podcast than his failed career.” He also called Mase a fake pastor and threatened the hosts, adding, “And tell them ninjas watch the way they talk on that podcast ’cause I ain’t ducking no smoke. Little old me ready to go to war with all these soft-behind ninjas.” In another tweet, he wrote, “You know what irks me? When a ninja talks boxing but ain’t never gloved up. This fat Mase and big teeth Cam’ron need to shut up. They never stepped foot in a boxing ring. We got all types of entertainers gloving up. Tell these ninjas to glove up or shut up.”
When I tell you that this rant on X lasted for about three hours, I mean exactly that. Mase and Cam’ron responded by saying, “See, you’re doing more fighting on social media than you do in the ring.” During their next appearance on “It Is What It Is,” they elaborated on the kind of player Shakur is, insisting that no matter what he says, he’s boring. “Now what I will say, this is the most entertainment we’ve seen out of you in the last two years.” They even added humor, “Congratulations, this is the most entertainment we’ve seen out of you in two years.”
Then J. Prince, who manages Shakur Stevenson, joined the conversation and defended Shakur. He highlighted Shakur’s recent fight as ESPN’s most-watched boxing event of the year, posting on Instagram, “Numbers don’t lie, haters do. Let the haters say he’s boring and nobody wants to watch him. Sorry to tell you, it’s just a select few of you haters. As you can see, there’s proof that he has the number one ratings on any fight on ESPN this year and the top three ratings since 2022.” Addressing Cam and Mase directly, he added, “And to all of you haters who want to escalate that hate outside of the ring, I’m Shakur’s manager, and I handle all his business outside of the ring. In other words, Cam and Mase, I will fade all his shots and take all bets.”
Mase and Cam really didn’t appreciate J. Prince calling them out. When they went back on their show, they went off on Prince. Even before that, the official “It Is What It Is” Instagram account posted a video of Shakur’s promoter, Bob Arum, admitting that the fighter’s defensive style doesn’t attract fans. Poor Stevenson has been publicly frustrated about not getting the big fights. Unlike Tank Davis, who has no problem getting fights because he brings in hundreds of thousands of fans, Shakur’s style just doesn’t generate the same excitement. They even captioned it, “The fight was free, so yeah, numbers do lie sometimes. People are mad at us for saying what everyone else is saying, including the people Shakur was signed to.”
The podcast also shared a video from a fan showing people leaving the fight before the 12th round. When they had another episode, they really dragged J. Prince through the mud. Mase said, “All that big homie stuff, that’s for little guys. Little guys have big homies. We’re not little guys, so we don’t respect big homies. I know Killer doesn’t, and I never respected the streets. That’s why I always had problems. People tell me to chill, but chill for what? Who is this guy? I want to respect him, but I can’t.” Mase also pointed out how Shakur and Prince handled this situation as an example of where things went wrong in the game. He mentioned he and Kanye recently spent time together, and during their meeting, they had a FaceTime call with J. Prince, which made him question Prince’s intentions. “I don’t know why he would come at me with that energy. I felt really disrespected. There are certain people you come at like that, and I’m not one of them.”
Cam’ron backed Mase up with an enthusiastic, “That’s what I’m talking about,” and then shared his own thoughts. He said he’s sick of talking about Shakur, arguing that this is the most attention the fighter has ever received. He emphasized Mase’s point about age and respect towards Prince. “You’re 60, what are you talking about? I lost all respect for you. When you had Aak and young boy NBA up, why are you acting like this? This is exactly why you’re acting like that.” While Prince isn’t technically 60 yet, you get the point.
Cam’ron and Mase discussed how J. Prince seems selective in who he calls out. They mentioned that Prince reacted differently to Kendrick Lamar regarding the Drake situation. Cam’ron pointed out, “He said something to Puff, right, Mase? But nothing to Kendrick. He said something to the guys in New York, but that didn’t go over well with the kid who got his chain taken. And he didn’t say anything to Wack. So, when you talk to me, I feel like you’re very selective.”
Mase highlighted that J. Prince has been inconsistent in his criticisms, sending a clear message that he wouldn’t tolerate such behavior directed at himself. Cam’ron agreed, suggesting Prince should focus on Shakur, who only gained attention because they talked about him for weeks. Many others shared their opinions on the situation. One person commented, “J. Prince, respect you, but you can’t be mad at folks critical of what they paid for and viewed. You do unto others as you have them do unto you.”
Another person added, “He’s right. The fight was free, it was boring, and J. Prince is too old for this behavior. An OG shouldn’t use social media for these issues. The message would have been delivered without exposure. We watch because we want to see Shakur succeed, but his performance was trash this time. Get back in the gym and make something happen.”
Generally, people agreed with Mase and Cam’ron, noting that Shakur’s performance on ESPN was lackluster. J. Prince’s other son, Prince Junior, also weighed in with a somewhat confusing statement about not capitalizing on weakness and glorifying strength.
It seems likely that either Shakur or J. Prince will respond again, so this situation isn’t over yet. What are your thoughts on how Mase and Cam’ron criticized J. Prince and Shakur? Do you agree that Shakur is boring? And what do you think about Cam and Mase’s comments on Prince’s selective call-outs? Share your thoughts in the comments below.