2002 was a crazy year for rap. Pirating was starting to become a big thing, but the digital era had yet to truly take hold and rap was still in its commercial peak. CDs were still flying off shelves, and rap albums were still going diamond. The only dudes moving units? Em, Pimp Juice, and Us (err Jay-Z ). While that was a hot line from Jigga, that statement wasn't entirely true, because the artist who literally controlled radio for the bulk of 2002 was none other than Jeffrey Atkins—known to the masses as Ja Rule.

Hits? You may recall he had a couple that year: "Always on Time," "Down 4 U," "What's Luv," "Ain't It Funny," "Rainy Dayz," "Down Ass Chick," "Thug Lovin." Even 2001 releases such as "Livin It Up" and "I'm Real" carried over into the new year and continued to burn up airwaves.

Murder Inc. was on top of the world. They had the credibility, the cosigns and the chart dominance to match. But in the shadows, 50 Cent was watching—and plotting his comeback. Rising from the ashes of his industry blackballing and near-fatal shooting.

Label head and chief producer Irv Gotti had the formula. Murder Inc. had the machine. And Ja Rule was the golden boy. They seemingly couldn't be stopped. They modeled themselves as the new Death Row Records—a rap label that could equally appeal to the streets and the pop charts—without compromising their hardcore exterior. Ja likened himself to the late, great Tupac Shakur (even remaking Pac's powerful "Pain" in 2001). So it came as no surprise that Irv and Ja became chummy with the Suge Knight after he was released from prison in 2001, after a five-year bid. Murder Inc. was also closely aligned with Queens street legend, Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, who at one time headed up the street organization the Supreme Team, and whose name rang out from the block to the boardrooms.

Murder Inc. was red hot. Even their fresh-faced new recruit, Ashanti, was shattering Billboard records. They were the forced to be reckoned with when it came to radio, 106 & Park, and TRL.

Yes, he had the Bravehearts, the Queensbridge connection, and the Ill Will Records label, but he wasn't as crew heavy as most of his counterparts, especially in NYC. He was seemingly battling the entire Roc by himself: from Jay and Bleek to the entirety of State Property and Dipset—it was an all out war on Nas. Adding fuel to the fire was his now-legendary June 2002 rant on Power 105 where Nas went on a verbal assault on a host of characters (Cam'ron, N.O.R.E., Nelly) after being dropped from Hot 97's famed Summer Jam when the station caught wind he was going to stage a mock lynching of Jay-Z on stage. (Here's a link to the extremely disturbing video .)

Crew love was the motto in 2002. It was all about your label, which many artists repped like it was a team or a gang. You showed your allegiance with your emblazoned logo chain, hand gestures, and in many instances a clothing line. Roc-A-Fella, Murder Inc., Ruff Ryders, Cash Money, Bad Boy, No Limit, Terror Squad, Dipset, Aftermath, Shady—you get the idea. There was power in numbers, and in that era people were team players.

At the same time, NYC titans Nas and Jay-Z were embroiled in their own very public feud. Nas dropped his scathing Jay-Z diss "Ether" at tail end of 2001, and was coasting into 2002 with reignited respect from the industry. Jay-Z had God's Son up against the ropes after "Takeover," but Nas unloaded a classic album with Stillmatic and delivered a number of strong blows to the God MC on "Ether." In 2017, it varies from fan to fan on who won the legendary battle, but at the time many were giving the nod to Nas.

Nas's 2002 rant on Power 105:

Nas was fighting this war largely by himself, but that all changed in July of 2002 when rumors began to trickle out that Nas was joining Gotti and Rule over at Murder Inc. It was an intriguing, shocking, and head scratching moment. This was also initially surprising because month's prior, Nas had openly dissed Def Jam (Murder Inc.'s distributor) and their business practices. Not to mention, Rule and Gotti had a longstanding friendship with Nas's archenemy, Jay-Z. After all, Ja got his big break on a Jay-Z track. So what the fuck was going on?

Gotti told MTV News in July of 2002: "I had talks with him. Me and him really got to kicking it, he's a good dude. I was in Miami, Atlanta, we did the last leg of the tour with him. He's gonna be on Sony, but it will be like Ill Will/ Murder Inc./ Sony. But I will definitely be affiliated and I'll definitely be a part of [his projects], me and my brother Ja Rule."

This could've been taken as a good rumor or hot air from Gotti, but less than a month later MTV shocked the world with the headline: "Nas Kills the Speculation: It's Murder!" Was the lone wolf of the rap game, Nas, really aligning with Murder Inc.? Gotti likened it to Pac joining Death Row.

On August 29, 2002, Nas performed alongside Murder Inc. at the MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Ja Rule and Ashanti performed their top 10 hit, "Down 4 U," while Nas gave us an inspired performance of "One Mic." At the end of their respective sets, they appeared in unison to preview their new collaboration "The Pledge (Remix)," where Nas told the crowd: "2003, Nas and Murder Inc., y'all," before throwing up the Murder Inc. sign and proclaiming "It's going down in 2003 baby. It's Murder, Ill Will!"

Keep in mind, while all this is happening, 50 Cent was watching and gaining momentum. His self-released mixtapes, 50 Cent Is the Future and Guess Who's Back, were burning up the streets. A fire was quietly blazing as things were getting complicated in NYC. Jay, Ja, and Gotti had a long history—even briefly forming the Murder Inc. supergroup in 1999 alongside DMX, who Ja was also beefing with at the time. NYC was seemingly at war. Rumors swirled that Murder Inc. and Roc-A-Fella were now embattled, stemming from Jay-Z pulling out of a planned Triple Threat Tour, featuring acts from the Murder Inc, Bad Boy and Roc-A-Fella families.

Jay instead chose to headline the Sprite Liquid Mix Tour, which also included N.E.R.D., Talib Kweli, 311, and Nappy Roots. In an October 2002 Murder Inc. cover story of The Source, Ja further elaborated on the tiff with Jigga while chilling with Diddy:

Chilling with P. Diddy and discussing the missed opportunity, Ja two-wayed Jay to ask, "Why the backpack nlggas and not me, your nigga?" Ja found Hova's answer to be disturbing. "[Jay-Z] said, 'I'ma tell you this one time, 'cause I feel I fucked up, but don't ever ask me my personal business again,"' Ja recounts in amazement.

Ouch. This Source interview is probably the most telling of the crumbled Nas/Murder Inc. partnership, and offers a ton of insight into what was happening between these camps at the time. This interview exists only in print and on one single remaining Murder Inc. fan site, which thankfully transcribed it for us to revel in 15 years later.

Around the time this interview dropped, "The Pledge" video featuring Nas, Ja Rule, and Ashanti impacted and was added into heavy rotation on all stations. It featured Nas gleefully throwing up the Murder Inc. M sign and the Bravehearts clad in Murder Inc. shirts, and the Murder Inc. family donning Ill Will Records tees. The video showed solidarity between the two camps, and even included a mock press conference welcoming Nas into the fold. It seemed to be a done deal. The video was powerful and chock full of striking imagery. This was all the proof we needed. This was going to be rap's next big powerhouse.

It was regal. It was exciting. It was a game changer. And then nothing happened.