This Saturday, BET will tape the 2012 Hip Hop Awards (is this the last remaining pre-taped award show? The fear of spontaneous mishap is the best part of award shows, though!) down in Atlanta, GA. The only real highlight of these festivities is generally the really well-done “cyphers” featuring incredible spit from everyone from Eminem to Nicki to Pusha to Busta and more. This year, the cyphers will reportedly include DMX, Snoop Dogg, T.I., Eve, ASAP Rocky, Cassidy, Mystikal, Talib Kweli, B.O.B and more.
But all eyes will also be on the main show for the planned tribute to the late hip hop super manager Chris Lighty.

Complex is reporting that, according to their sources, the Lighty tribute will be even more notable because it will bring together two bitter rivals, 50 Cent and Fat Joe, onstage for the first time in…well, maybe ever? (And “bitter” is an understatement when describing the level of beef these two have engaged in over the years) But Fat Joe has acknowledged that even during the height of their tension, he still maintained love and respect for 50′s manager and business partner Chris Lighty, who was instrumental in his early career. And recently 50 said he had somewhat moved past the beef with Joe. Not quite willing to mend the fence…just not lean on it any more.

So…will these two stars stand together onstage this weekend?
Well…not exactly….but, sort of!

Exclusive details (and the latest from the Chris Lighty private investigation)…
After the jump

50 Cent’s team hit me to say that Fif will indeed appear in the Chris Lighty tribute medley at this weekend’s BET Hip Hop Awards. But the show will take care to separate the participating performers. So Fat Joe will perform “Lean Back,” followed by Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes. But 50 Cent will be on his own when he closes out the set with “I Get Money.” Perhaps there will at least be a photo op featuring all of the artists who shared such close ties with Lighty. That would be an amazing moment. In the end, I don’t ever think that arch enemies owe it to anyone to become friends. It rarely sticks. But just an acceptance of live and let live…or agree to disagree…is often enough. No?
Either way…we’ll know what happens long before the awards actually air on Oct.

Speaking of Chris Lighty…my Hot97 co-worker Lisa Evers talked to both 50 and the private investigator Fif and Lighty’s mom have hired to look into the circumstances of Chris’ death. We posted Part 1 of Fox News’ coverage here, and this is Part 2.

New York News | NYC Breaking News

Related:
50 Cent Hires Team to Investigate Chris Lighty’s Death
New Music: Slaughterhouse Feat. Fat Joe “Goodbye (Remix)” (Chris Lighty Tribute)
Remembering Chris Lighty: From the Jungle Brothers to 50 Cent, Hip Hop’s Power Manager