The 50 Cent Empire

by Doug Davis⁽³⁾

In stark contrast to the menacing thug that glares out from his album covers, those who know rapper 50 Cent best can only describe him as courteous and charming, eloquent and affable, funny and humble. When the layers of the elaborate armor are peeled away, the only person left standing is Curtis Jackson, the orphaned boy from Brooklyn who has risen from selling crack to overseeing an empire worth $250 million.

The reality of the business mogul is a world away from the public persona of the drug-smoking, hard-partying misogynist he portrays. Although his life once resembled a gangsta movie, today his focus is only on making money - and he's making plenty of it. Usually immaculately groomed in his own G-Unit gear, 50 Cent was recognized on the 2010 Forbes Top 20 Hip Hop Earners list for bringing in $8 million last year.

50 cent's influence stretches through hip hop culture from music to fashion. His line of G-Unit apparel and jewelry generated interest in the world of audacious bling style jewelry. The large G has become a symbol for hustlers and fans of hardcore hip hop worldwide.

During the past 11 years, 50 Cent has garnered 69 awards for his funk-infused grooves and witty lyrics, which have propelled his five albums to multi-platinum status and prompted Billboard magazine to rank him as the sixth best artist of the 2000-2009 decade. Combining his hard-won street smarts with brilliant business savvy and creative marketing strategies, 50 Cent has amassed a staggering amount of wealth and success, moving beyond just a rap star to being a brand.

Although his first business venture, Hollow Point Entertainment, failed in 1999, he bounced back in 2003 with the launch of G-Unit Records. The young hip hop label initially signed several successful rappers, including Lloyd Banks, Young Buck and The Game. That same year, he signed a five-year, multi-million dollar deal with Reebok to develop the G-Unit sneaker collection, teamed up with fashion designer Marc Ecko to create the G-Unit urban clothing line and launched the now defunct G-Unit Films.

In 2007, 50 Cent branched out to the publishing industry by establishing G-Unit Books. That same year, Coco-Cola purchased the company that distributed Formula 50 Vitamin Water, which 50 Cent represented as a celebrity spokesman. His share in the company amounted to a cash out of $100 million. He has also worked with Right Guard to launch a body spray, Steiner Sports to sell memorabilia and Magic Stick Condoms, which redirects a portion of his earnings to HIV awareness.

The marketing genius has also branched out into the television, movie, video game and book publishing industries, ruthlessly publicizing his life story. In 2005, he released From Pieces to Weight: Once upon a Time in Southside Queens and Get Rich or Die Tryin', an autobiographical book and film that chronicled his difficult childhood in the South Jamaica neighborhood of New York City. Raised by his grandparents after his father split and his drug-dealing mother was murdered, 50 Cent was raking in more than $5,000 a day in his mid-teens by selling crack, despite having enough talent to compete at the Junior Olympics as an amateur boxer.

In 2006, 50 Cent also released a PlayStation 2, Xbox and PlayStation Portable game that sketches out a semi-autobiographical story of his life as members of the G-Unit crew search for vengeance against the hitmen who tried to murder him. A soundtrack album was developed to support "50 Cent: Bulletproof" and its 2009 sequel, "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand."

By 2008, 50 Cent had co-founded the film production company Cheetah Vision. His acting credits include cameos on a 2005 episode of the Simpson and a 2009 episode of Entourage, as well as 16 films, some starring such A-list actors as Al Pacino, Nicolas Cage, Ray Liotta and Robert De Niro. In 2009, he served as the executive producer on the direct-to-DVD film, Caught in the Crossfire, and in he starred in and co-wrote the 2011 unreleased film Things Fall Apart. Cheetah Vision released its first production, Gun, in 2010 after receiving more than $200 million in funding.

Earlier this year, 50 Cent reinvented the marketing wheel once again by encouraging his 3.8 million followers in a tweet to purchase penny stocks in a fledgling business he had $225 million invested in to distribute his Sleek by 50 headphones. Within days, the company's stock jumped 290 percent, netting the superstar nearly $9 million.

In another recent tweet, 50 Cent announced that his fifth album, Black Magic, is 80 percent complete. The experimental LP is reported to blend 50's hard edge with the uptempo nightclub beats of Eurodance. He also announced in early January 2010 that his label is looking to sign new comedians and authors.

Doug Davis writes for KingIce, an online retailer of urban accessories including a selection of mens black bracelets and mens rings .

Article submitted Tuesday, May 24, 2011 & read 114 times.

Leave your comments through Web Slingas:

No comments yet.

36-0-0-0-4-ADSO

Most Recent