Curtis Jackson III, more famously 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 at Us Weekly on this punishing summer day.
Absolutely no one should be surprised at his wealth. His first album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, released 23 years ago, remains the highest-selling rap debut ever. His Final Lap Tour last year sold more than $100 million in tickets, a rap milestone reached thus far by only one other act (Drake).
That’s just music. There are equally staggering numbers to cite in the TV and film projects Jackson produces as well as the brands and products he’s embraced. At age 49, 50 Cent does a lot and earns a lot more — but it wasn’t always like that.
Born in South Jamaica, Queens, his mother died when he was only 8. When he was 12, he sold drugs. He never met his father. Survival was uncertain.
Jackson’s son Sire is now 12 himself. (Mom is 50’s ex-girlfriend Daphne Joy Narvaez.) His life consists of video games, roughhousing with his dad (“I’ll throw him onto the couch — he’s having a ball”) and getting schooled in the empire he’ll one day inherit. After all, Jackson’s Sire Spirits is named for, and will be for, his son.
In the entertainment realm, 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, launches later this year with Starz’ entire Power series (from G-Unit, of course), a sampling of 50’s films and more. Starz has been home to Jackson’s Power Universe with Power: Book I Ghost, Book II Raising Kanan, Book III Force and the upcoming Book IV Origins. Also at Starz: his successful BMF franchise (with spinoffs coming) and a previously aired docuseries, plus four shows in development.
“I think having it be free television is a huge leap,” he says. (Let the fan binges begin!) And G-Unit Studios, a production facility in Shreveport, La., is well under way. It will be the world’s second-largest Black-owned production studio, second only to 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 front-loaded with talent he’s pulled in, from Monica to Keith Sweat, Cam’ron to Flo Rida. Proceeds go to his G-Unity Foundation.
How does he do it all? Well, he insists he only needs four hours of sleep. And then there’s this: In January, he proclaimed on Instagram that he was “practicing abstinence… and focusing on my goals.” Asked about his progress, he says slyly, “Well, I did it for as long as I could.” The cash kept pouring in, though! Here, he opens up his wallet (figuratively) in the latest issue of Us.
You’ve made millions. Hundreds of millions. Are you a billionaire yet?
I don’t quantify the money like that — I quantify the level of successes and wins I’ve achieved. I have far exceeded anyone’s expectations of me. I think my longevity and staying power in the industry have surprised many, but that’s what drives me further. [Besides,] I’m not in a hurry to reach billionaire status. I’ve reached a point where I don’t want anything I don’t have. What’s the rush? I’ve bought every car I wanted, multiple times over.
Do things change at 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 might suddenly decide they want 58 percent of your money. The ambulance chasers, the attorneys — it’s an army of ’em after you. Then you’d have to protect yourself because you have deep pockets.
Being a billionaire won’t be much different from where I am now. At that point, you have to figure out how to give back. You start building a legacy, doing more sophisticated things. People remember those who helped others more than those who just accumulated wealth. They’ll ask, “How did he benefit others? How significant was his success if it didn’t affect other people’s lives?”
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If not billionaire, what’s the word or phrase you’d like people to use when describing you?
Very rich. Because rich would mean that you’ve surrounded yourself with good people, that you’re happy, that you’re living a high quality of life. And that’s the important part.
One person who clearly makes you happy is your son Sire. Will all this be his one day?
That’s the idea. What’s left of me will be there for him to run with. At the end of it, that’s what it’s about.
Are you teaching Sire all about the business world?
When I can get him away from the video game? Yeah, that’s what I’m talking to him about. 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’s not [ready for]. So it’s really basic stuff, because he’s a young 12. I was off to the races already by the time I was his age. [Laughs.] I had a lot more experience.
But he does look at [Sire Spirits] like it’s his company. The actual stars of the teams [we’ve partnered with, like the Timberwolves and Anthony Edwards] draw the attention of the kid, and then he sees himself in it.
On a scale of one to 10, how would you rank your ambition and drive?
I fluctuate around an eight. Sometimes I find myself distracted and then I need to recalibrate to get back on track closer to a 10, but it’s important to give yourself time to stop and enjoy the achievements. And I’m frequently moving my goalpost as I achieve new levels of success.
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Let’s talk about current projects. One that has people talking is a Netflix docuseries about Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is facing lawsuits alleging sexual abuse, rape and sex trafficking. [Combs has denied the allegations.] What makes you the right producer for this high-profile title?
I’m the only person in hip-hop culture that has produced any hit television. Why wouldn’t I be the person to produce it? And I’m not on the tapes. [Party videotapes were reportedly found after search warrants were executed on Diddy’s homes.] See, some of the people who have been around in the culture who are not saying anything — that’s because they’ve been to the parties, [and] they don’t know what part of their experiences are on tape. So it keeps them quiet and it looks like I’m the only guy, but I’ve been [saying] for years that something’s not right.
Moving on to books: The Accomplice, the first in a fiction series, arrives this fall. What do we need to know?
This is the first time I’m launching a book that I know I’m going to turn into a film. [Coauthor] Aaron Philip Clark is an amazing, award-winning mystery writer. There’s a female lead in it, the first African-American U.S. marshal in Texas. I sent the synopsis over to Regina Hall so she could check it out.
What was your motivation for G-Unit Studios? Why go all in on production?
With what I’m doing in film and television, executive producing these projects, now I can provide production services. Now I have the physical studio to create without restrictions. [In music,] as soon as you get the money to have your own recording setup, you do it, so you don’t have a boss and you can just go to work. Well, in the film and television business, you always have to report to someone. Once the facilities are up and running, I’m not reporting to anyone again.
You’re committed to the Shreveport community as well.
A lot of the things you have to see before you make it to the studio weren’t active. So I’m like, how do you [visit] and say you enjoyed being there if those things aren’t working? So I started buying the properties along that walk. I know Vegas to be successful just based on one strip, right? And then if I bring that back to life, I think it’ll bring the town back completely. The bigger the challenges in front of me, the more excited I get.
For more on 50 Cent, watch the exclusive video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.
