50 Cent Trolls Sean "Diddy" Combs' Sex Trafficking Verdict

Rapper and entrepreneur 50 Cent didn't waste a moment sharing his thoughts about the verdict in former longtime rival Sean "Diddy" Combs' high-profile sex trafficking case, and true to 50's form, it wasn't very subtle.

Shortly after a New York jury acquitted Diddy on three of the five charges against him, which included racketeering and two counts of sex trafficking, 50 Cent went to Instagram to offer his two cents. "Diddy beat the Rio, that boy a bad man!" he wrote, with a smug photo of himself smiling broadly. "He like the Gay John Gotti @50centaction," he wrote with the sarcasm he couldn't resist.

And the post was but another tick in a long-running, ever-turning cycle of rancor between the two moguls, a feud based as much on competition, controversy, and caustic commentary as it is on air rights, development, and alliances. But beneath the bravado, his reaction is also a reflection of how the entertainment business is dealing with one of the most outrageous celebrity trials in recent memory.

Read More: Lawyer To Cassie Ventura Reacts To The Bad Boy Mogul's Verdict In Sex Trafficking Case

Combs, who had insisted he was innocent, had been charged with five felonies, including those that carried a combined potential sentence of life in prison if he had been convicted on all counts. The nearly two-month trial was filled with emotional testimony and explosive claims. Diddy's ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, was a key witness for the prosecution. But ultimately, the jury convicted Combs on only two of the prostitution-related counts. Combs reportedly dropped to his knees in prayer and broke down in tears as the verdict was read. His family, including his mother, Janice Combs, and six children, burst into cheers, crying and hugging each other in relief.

If the courtroom was a room filled with solemnity and release, social media was a free-for-all fight for people's reactions, none more quickly or loudly than 50 Cent. Whether you read his comments as satire, shade, or social commentary, the man knows how to make it all about himself while simultaneously turning up the heat. For now, Diddy comes out partly vindicated, and 50 Cent gets to grab another viral moment, merging hip-hop swag with headline-demanding cheek. And in the continuing tale of mega music brouhahas, while the court is adjourned, the drama is never far away.