50 Cent made waves on social media with a viral video criticizing Campbell’s Soup Company following a major controversy involving a fired executive’s leaked recording that sparked nationwide outrage.
The rapper posted a video of two soup cans in the garbage, saying, “I’m done with Campbell soup they said the s### ain’t even chicken the meat came from a 3D printer.”
50 was referring to a scandal involving Campbell’s former executive, Martin Bally, who made offensive comments about the company’s products and customers during a November 2024 meeting.
The controversy began when Robert Garza, hired as a cybersecurity analyst in September 2024, secretly recorded his meeting with Bally that was supposed to discuss his salary. Garza reported the offensive comments to his manager, J.D. Aupperle, on January 10, but claims Aupperle did not encourage him to report the incident to human resources.
Garza was terminated from employment just weeks later, prompting him to file a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination and retaliation. The suit seeks compensation for emotional, reputational and economic harm.
In the leaked recording, Bally allegedly called Campbell’s products “s### for f###### poor people” and claimed the company uses “bioengineered meat” and “3D printed chicken” in their soups, according to a lawsuit.
Campbell’s quickly fired Bally after the recording went public and issued multiple statements defending their products, but 50 Cent’s viral response brought additional attention to the scandal.
The company took the unusual step of responding directly to the rapper on social media, writing: “Hey 50—to set the record straight, we use real, quality ingredients (real chicken!) and put a lot of care into every batch. Come see for yourself, we’d love to show you how we make our food!”
Campbell’s acknowledged the recording’s authenticity in a November 26 statement, calling Bally’s comments “vulgar, offensive and false” and apologizing “for the hurt they have caused.”
The food manufacturer has aggressively defended its product quality, stating their chicken “comes from long-trusted, USDA-approved U.S. suppliers and meets our high quality standards.”
They published a fact sheet confirming that they do not use “3D-printed chicken, lab-grown chicken, or any form of artificial or bioengineered meat” in their soups.
50 vowed to go and inspect the factory, but he may have some company.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced his Consumer Protection Division is investigating Campbell’s product quality following the controversy.
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