Curtis Jackson IIIbetter known as 50 Cent, is rich. “Very, very rich,” he says with a smile. That grin has been on his face since he first stepped into the lobby We weekly on this chilly summer day.
Absolutely no one should be surprised by his wealth. His first album, Get rich or die tryingReleased 23 years ago, it remains the best-selling rap debut ever. Are Final lap round Last year, more than $100 million worth of tickets were sold, a milestone achieved by only one other act to date (Drake).
That’s just music. There are equally staggering numbers in the TV and film projects Jackson produces, as well as the brands and products he embraces. At 49 years old, 50 Cent is doing a lot and making a lot more, but it wasn’t always that way.
Born in South Jamaica, Queens, his mother died when he was only 8. When he was 12, he was selling drugs. He never met his father. Survival was uncertain.
Jackson’s son Sire is now 12 himself. (My mother is an ex-girlfriend from the 50s Daphne Joy Narvaez.) His life consists of video games, roughhousing with his father (“I throw him on the couch – he’s having a good time”) and getting an education in the empire he will one day inherit. After all, Jackson’s Sire Spirits was and will remain named after his son.
On the entertainment front, Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Paramount+ and BET are among the networks working with Jackson’s G-Unit Film and Television on dozens of shows. His new FAST channel with Lionsgate, 50 Cent Action, will launch later this year with Starz’ Whole Current series (from G-Unit, of course), a selection of films from the 50s and more. Starz is the home of Jackson’s Power Universe Power: Book I Spirit, Book II Raising Kanan, Book III Power and the next one Book IV Origin. Also at Starz: its successful BMF franchise (with spinoffs on the way) and a previously aired docuseries, plus four shows in development.
“I think it’s a huge step forward to get free television,” he says. (Let the fan showers begin!) And G-Unit Studios, a production facility in Shreveport, La., is in full swing. It will be the second largest Black production studio in the world, after Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta. By the time you read this, Jackson will have just hosted Shreveport’s Humor & Harmony Weekend, a four-day festival packed with talent he’s brought in from Monica Unpleasant Keith Sweat, Cam’ron Unpleasant Flo Rida. Proceeds will go to his G-Unity Foundation.
How does he do it all? He insists he only needs four hours of sleep. And then there’s this: In January, he announced on Instagram that he was “practicing abstinence… and focusing on my goals.” Asked about his progress, he says slyly, “Well, I’ve been doing it as long as I can.” However, the money kept pouring in! Here he (figuratively) opens his wallet in the latest issue of Us.
You’ve made millions. Hundreds of millions. Are you a billionaire yet?
I don’t quantify the money that way; I quantify the level of successes and victories I have achieved. I have far exceeded anyone’s expectations of me. I think my longevity and staying power in the industry has surprised many, but that is what drives me forward. [Besides,] I’m in no rush to reach billionaire status. I’ve reached a point where I don’t want anything I don’t have anymore. What’s the rush? I’ve bought every car I wanted, multiple times.
Are things changing at the billionaire level? More cigars? More watches? You just dropped $5 million on a Rolex!
When people publicly say you’re a billionaire, they come for what you have. The IRS could suddenly decide they want 58 percent of your money. The ambulance chasers, the lawyers – there’s an army after you. Then you should protect yourself, because you have deep pockets.
Being a billionaire won’t be much different than where I am now. At that point you have to figure out how to give back. You start building a legacy and doing more advanced things. People remember those who helped others more than those who merely amassed wealth. They will ask, ‘How did he help others? How important was his success if it didn’t affect other people’s lives?
While many celebrities are very wealthy, only a handful have actually achieved billionaire status. The ten-figure club is populated mainly by entrepreneurs and business magnates – people like Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. Celebrities who breathe this rarefied air have usually diversified their portfolios to include all kinds of partnerships, investments and […]
If you’re not a billionaire, what word or phrase would you like people to use when describing you?
Very rich. Because rich would mean that you have surrounded yourself with good people, that you are happy, that you have a high quality of life. And that’s the most important part.
One person who clearly makes you happy is your son Sire. Will this all be his only day?
That’s the idea. What’s left of me will be there for him to run away with. Ultimately, that’s what it’s all about.
Will you teach Sire everything about the business world?
When can I take him away from the video game? Yes, I’ll talk to him about that. I don’t want to overwhelm him or give him so much where it feels like you’re putting pressure on him to understand things he isn’t [ready for]. So it’s very simple stuff, because he’s only twelve. I started going to the races when I was his age. [Laughs.] I had much more experience.
But he does look [Sire Spirits] like it’s his company. The real stars of the teams [we’ve partnered with, like the Timberwolves and Anthony Edwards] catch the child’s attention, and then he sees himself in it.
How would you rate your ambition and drive on a scale of one to ten?
I’m hovering around an eight. Sometimes I find myself distracted and have to recalibrate to get closer to a 10 again, but it’s important to give yourself time to stop and enjoy the performance. And I regularly move my goal post as I reach new levels of success.
Let’s talk about current projects. One that people are talking about is a Netflix docuseries about Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is facing lawsuits for sexual abuse, rape and sex trafficking. [Combs has denied the allegations.] What makes you the right producer for this controversial title?
I’m the only person in hip-hop culture who has produced successful television. Why wouldn’t I be the person to produce it? And I’m not standing on the tapes. [Party videotapes were reportedly found after search warrants were executed on Diddy’s homes.] See, some people who are present in the culture and don’t say anything – that’s because they went to the parties, [and] they don’t know what part of their experiences is on the tape. So it keeps them quiet and it seems like I’m the only guy, but I am [saying] something has been wrong for years.
We continue with books: The Accomplice, the first in a fiction series, will be published this fall. What should we know?
This is the first time I’m launching a book that I know I’m going to make into a movie. [Coauthor] Aaron Philip Clark is an amazing, award-winning mystery writer. It features a female lead, the first African-American U.S. Marshal in Texas. I have the synopsis to Regina Hall so she could look at it.
What was your motivation for G-Unit Studios? Why go all-in on production?
With what I do in film and television, executive producing these projects, I can now provide production services. Now I have the physical studio to create without limitations. [In music,] once you get the money to have your own recording setup, you do it so you don’t have a boss and can just go to work. In the film and television world you always have to report to someone. Once the facilities are operational, I will no longer report to anyone.
You are also involved in the Shreveport community.
Many of the things you need to see before reaching the studio were not active. So I’m thinking, how are you? [visit] and say you enjoyed being there when those things don’t work? So I started buying the properties along that walk. I know Vegas is successful based on one strip, right? And if I bring that back to life, I think it will completely bring the city back. The greater the challenges that lie ahead of me, the more excited I become.
For more on 50 Cent, watch and pick up the exclusive video above the latest issue by We weekly – on newsstands now.