Before the platinum plaques and Reebok deals, G-Unit was a street-certified movement. And while 50 Cent was the face, the muscle behind the rise came from people like Bang Em Smurf—a name that rarely gets mentioned, but without whom, the early G-Unit story doesn’t hold.
A product of Queens’ notorious Lost Boyz era, Smurf came up fighting in backyard rumbles and high school brawls. He knew who was real long before the rap money came. By the time 50 needed to form a loyal circle after surviving his infamous shooting, Smurf had already built a city-wide network of fighters and earners.
“I already had the respect in the streets,” he said in a RapMatico interview. “I just activated it.”
One of the most striking parts of the interview? Smurf recalling a run-in with Haitian Jack—one of the most feared names in hip-hop lore. The first meeting wasn’t tense—it was respectful. “He saw us, young kids with vests and guns on go,” Smurf said. “He respected 50 because of how we moved.”
Smurf claims industry tough guys like Haitian Jack and Jimmy Henchman, both known for intimidating artists and execs, backed down when facing G-Unit’s early street squad. “We ran down on everybody. They had to fall back.”
But history doesn’t always reward the foot soldiers. A falling out with 50—fueled by paranoia, arrests, and loyalty tests—led to Smurf being cut out of the story he helped write.
Now, he says he’s on a positive path, but the facts remain: G-Unit wasn’t a label creation. It was born from street history, Southside survival, and real loyalty. And Smurf? He was the one connecting every corner of Queens—until the game changed.
Watch the full RapMatic interview below.
