Making Cents

Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson has spent a decade building a music and business empire that’s helped cement his status as a living pop culture icon. City Times sits down with the rapper turned entrepreneur to discuss his rise to fame and what he values most

From being struck by nine bullets to overseeing a business empire so vast that – in his own words – it might take him just a few more years to reach the coveted billionaire status, golden boy rapper 50 Cent might consider changing his stage name to King Midas.

With a personal fortune of $100 million-plus and the deeds to some of the most expensive real estate in the world, Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson has been riding high on the music charts since his global debut a decade ago, but his business empire is what has really been turning heads.

“What I value most is financial freedom,” the 37-year-old New York native told City Times as he launched his new SMS Audio headphones in the region alongside a headlining concert in Dubai this weekend.

The drug dealer turned entrepreneur is admittedly living in two separate, yet intertwined worlds. He is surprisingly attentive, soft-spoken and even funny at times, but not everyone gets to see both sides of his coin.

“When I’m comfortable, I’m Curtis, but when people put me in uncomfortable situations, I start behaving more like their perception of 50 Cent,” he explained.

“I enjoy having both personalities, because one helps me with the other.”

After being discovered by rap mogul Eminem, he was catapulted into the highest echelons of stardom, forced to reconcile the young boy that was raised by a loving grandmother in typical inner-city poverty, and the aggressive street youth whose dangerous lifestyle lead to the infamous near fatal shooting in 2000 that almost ended his career just as it was set to launch.

“There would be no 50 Cent without Eminem,” he said bluntly of the chance meeting that changed his life.

“I thought it was some kind of spoof when we first met, as if MTV cameras were taping us for a reality show. Eminem just sold 22 millions records at the time and he’s focusing on me?  He was confident, and that made me more confident in myself.”

But with notoriety came backlash from an unexpected but powerful figure – the queen of talk, Oprah Winfrey.  Perceiving hip-hop culture as misogynistic and racially charged, Oprah lashed out at him and a bizarre cold war between the pair was born (50 Cent named his dog Oprah).

“If I can’t be your friend, at least let me be your enemy,” he rationalised at the time.

The feud ended after Oprah visited the rapper at his childhood home in New York, giving a ratings boost to her fledgling TV network and helping introduce the rapper to a whole new demographic. For 50 Cent, the feud was more about his own value and legitimacy, he explained.

Now as he prepares for the release of his fifth studio album, Street King Immortal, 50 Cent said he has no reason to fear a sudden fall from super stardom.

“I never felt pressure to deliver a hit record because you can’t make everybody happy, no matter what you do.”

“If you start being conscious of someone else’s ideas, than your art is really a reflection of what you think they want, instead of what you want to do,” he said.

With a name like 50 Cent, it’s no wonder that his focus on money has helped build him a fortune, but he’s also managed to create a network of charity initiatives aimed at alleviating poverty and hunger across the world, particularly in Africa where the impact of his visit changed him forever.

“I grew up poor, but I didn’t grow up hungry,” he explained on his partnership with the United Nations Food Programme where he has committed to providing one billion meals through sales of his popular Street King energy drinks. Sales of his SMS Audio headphones will also benefit the Dubai Autism Centre.

With an ego so vaulting one can’t help but believe in the hype, 50 Cent has come a long way from his brush with death and adolescent path to nowhere. An anomaly in the straight-laced business world, he has managed to carry his own torch farther than even his own expectations.

“Music will also be my main focus. It’s been able to take me from the worst possible experiences to where I am today. I’m excited about possibilities because I don’t see limitations to how far I can actually go.”

Mohamad Kadry