50 Cent Talks Las Vegas Residency, Drake’s Next Move & Reflects on ’07 Sales Battle With Kanye West
50 Cent made history with his 2023 Final Lap Tour when he joined Kendrick Lamar to become the second rapper ever to gross over $100 million ($103.6 million to be exact across 83 shows in North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia) with his global trek, according to Billboard Boxscore. (Drake, Nicki Minaj and Travis Scott have since joined the $100 million club with their own lucrative hip-hop tours)
Even with a discography largely built off a dominant 2000s run, filled with inescapable street records and a trio of titanic studio albums, 50’s voice has stood the test of time.
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The Queens native has remained a fixture in the hip-hop world while transitioning to elder-statesman status. His polarizing and hilarious cultural commentary has racked him up over 34 million Instagram followers, with no topic seemingly off limits or person safe from being roasted.
The 49-year-old continues to run laps around peers who have long moved out of the spotlight, and 50’s shrewdly been able to evolve within the digital space and social media era with sharp-wittedness. His relentless work ethic hasn’t wanted in the slightest either: His “Hustler’s Ambition” still burns like he’s back in the Southside of Jamaica, Queens.
He took home Hustler of the Year at the BET Hip Hop Awards last week, an honor he locked up in my opinion after headlining Dreamville Fest in April, and then flying 500 miles to make his Atlantic City club appearance at Harrah’s the same night. Only 50.
And the grind doesn’t stop for 50 Cent: Next up, the film and television mogul will be heading to Las Vegas for his first-ever residency to ring in the New Year. Announced earlier in October, 50’s slated to perform at Ph Live at Planet Hollywood for six different shows coming up on Dec. 27, Dec. 28, Dec. 30, Dec. 31, Jan. 3 and Jan. 4. Tickets are currently on sale.
“I get to take it up a notch [with] the production value of the show and put on a special show,” 50 promises in conversation with Billboard, regarding the concerts at the 7,000-capacity venue in Vegas. “The show itself is a dream. We gotta turn it up a notch. I’m gonna be there for New Year’s [Eve]. That’s the real turn up.”
Give the rest of our interview with 50 Cent a read as he goes long on his Las Vegas plans, the Drake-Kendrick Lamar feud, his 2007 battle with Kanye West and what he texted Eminem on his birthday.
We gotta talk about the Vegas residency, congrats on that. Why now?
Yeah, it’s super cool, man. I could do things in the show I couldn’t do if it was a moving show. And I’ll change the setlist and do different things. Some that I wanted to do that I didn’t actually perform on the last run, I’ll be integrating those things and creating things to connect to them.
I can actually expand it. Don’t think there’s not a part of this that got me into the film production. I’m able to add that into it. The technology’s so different. Remember Limitless, like the opening sequence? It was crazy when you saw it for the first time. It’s easier to create things like that [in a residency], and I can do different s–t. I want to use a dream sequence thing.
It’s dope to see rappers getting residencies now. Even legacy acts like Wu-Tang Clan and Nas have them.
It’s super cool. These guys are alive. Those groups are a lot older, like Wu-Tang and Nas. It’s something they want to catch. I may not have them expose what the show is. I’m building everything into the set. How to transition from one song into the next into the room.
What do you think about having this discography that’s been able transcend generations? For me, I was 10 years old when Get Rich or Die Tryin’ came out, and that’s like the soundtrack to our lives. To now we got careers, jobs, money to spend. You did a $100 million on your world tour last year.
It’s cool. You don’t usually have artists that sustain themselves this long in our culture. Hip-hop has a low attention span, and it’s out with the old and in with the new repeatedly. There’s even a point they’ll create a resistance for you. You have so much consistency, even when there’s not a break in the material, they’ll ask about your record and say, “That’s good, but it’s not like his first one.” And you don’t get a second chance at a first impression. That’s what the artist community does to the artist that are already in pocket. They wanna see you go up, but they want to see you come down — because if you don’t, how am I gonna have my chance to go up?
Drake is in that position right now. They trying to resist the music, because he put out some things that are dope. I say a lot of things on social and they get upset because they look and go, “Ahh, I’m automatically supposed to be on Kendrick’s side because of my association with Dre.” And I love Kendrick, but I’ll say it to you — I didn’t see where what [Drake] did was wack at any point. They giving [Drake] the, “Oh you wack, you finished.” I’m like, “Nah, come on.” That’s the system trying to make some sort of resistance and it’s from the consistency. When you win consecutively, that part of the hip-hop demographic wants you out of there. I started to feel the resistance for the Curtis album.
I was going to touch on that, with you and Kanye [West] facing off in 2007. What do you remember about that time? Because it represented to two different sectors of rap.
We made the highest sales week for hip-hop culture, doing that and being competitive. People that were participating as fans were buying more than one copy of it, because of the competitive side of it. When you look at it… we had to stand together to face off, but we never had an issue. That was his “break” album that broke him in. If I was trying to combat that, I would’ve went on tour with him. I would’ve had all of the material with the albums that worked ahead of [Graduation] to draw from, while he had that one record.
That’s some Art of War s–t right there, 50. It represented two sides of rap back in 2007, with 50 being the street dude making hit records and Kanye’s representing the high-fashion with a different production looking for stadium status.
Anything that was less aggressive. Look at The College Dropout, or the themes of his records versus Get Rich or Die Tryin’, The Massacre and Curtis. Those albums were a lot more aggressive, but they gave him all the trophies. They would rather hip-hop be what he was at that point… He was like, “F–k that! Beyoncé’s supposed to have that.” I’m like, “Yo, they be tweaking.” But I don’t think anybody’s been through more or have more reasons to fall apart than Kanye. The success of his project comes, and his mom passes away. So what you been praying for — the gift is a curse. You lose that, and he had real reasons to f–king be out of it. He did the right thing. He went to work.
When you linked up with Drake, did you have advice for him as far as his next move?
I was telling him, it’s not him. I’m listening on the outskirts, it’s not you. Don’t let yourself think that for a second. On some real s–t, I said, “They said you lost, okay. Well what did you lose?” What exactly did he lose, if he got $300 something million on his last tour? You didn’t lose a motherf–king thing, man. If that’s the moment, you keep your creative energy in the right place, and keep creating. If you slow down because you feel, “What the f–k?” The resistance will make you feel like your material isn’t good. Then you gotta figure out how to keep pushing, how to keep creating — because that’s what it feels like to you at the moment. That s–t was good for hip-hop. It made both of them create quality material faster.
I feel like people cared about lyrics again.
It was about the lyrics, but that s–t was on a different level. The f–king [good kid, m.A.A.d city] car in the video. That s–t was a mystery. Everything was tied to something. I was like what the f–k? That wasn’t in hip-hop before that. Before that battle, I do not remember this was the car from this and that was this. Everything that was a part of it was some other s–t. It was almost encrypted.
Then they’re making some crazy allegations against each other. Do you think you lose once you get on the defensive? I thought Drake lost his footing a little bit there.
When you say something that isn’t true, and the person wants to defend themselves, they encourage — the public likes that you’re vulnerable. Because it matters to you that it wasn’t true and they jump on you. That’s like Meek Mill. When they say Meek is fruity or gay with Puff in the situation now. It’s how he responds to it that makes people talk about it more. It gets bigger and bigger and it turns into a thing going on out there. You don’t hear one thing about French Montana. And French was in that circle and around that a lot. Not one thing, and Meek’s s–t is all over the place. It’s the way they respond to what people say about them publicly. They feel like, “That bothers you?” If you say anything, then they start harping on that harder. They want the fight to continue.
It’s Eminem’s birthday. Do you hit him up? What’s that message like? Did you hit him up about being a grandpa?
I texted him, “Happy birthday.” Not about the baby. He’s gonna be a granddad. It’s crazy because a lot of times when we were going on tours, they would offer Em ridiculous amounts of money for us to tour and him go out on a run. He would just be like, “Nah, I just don’t wanna go out and then come back and Hailie’s grown.” I didn’t know what the f–k he was saying. I’m looking at him like, “What are you talking about? Did you not hear how much money they gonna give us?”
I had a moment where I told him at the wedding — because I went to Hailie’s wedding — I told him I understand now. That s–t happened really fast. The time went by really fast, and she’s grown. I’m like, “What the…?” She was right there with us the whole time. It’s ill. The time goes by. He’ll be working on a project and be working on the next record. Simple but complex at the same time, because he’s putting intricate things inside the records. I had to listen to it for three or four days before I understood it. I kept finding new s–t on the records.
What did you think about Power Book II: Ghost coming to an end?
I feel good about it. Every time we have an ending, something good happens. This was when the first original Power went six and a half seasons. I was betting seven, because of the success of The Sopranos that went seven seasons. They didn’t want to pay for the other half of the seventh season. It’s a continuation, so you felt the effects of Power and it went to a whole new space. When we get to the development like Raising Kanan, Kanan will go on, while the next one matures. Then the next couple of seasons will go into the origin story. So you’ll see the original Tommy and Ghost. We just needed a little time to get Kanan to be the driving force of what was going on. He got another season.
I remember reading your Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter book about Omari Hardwick not doing too well in the original Power Ghost audition, and you went and got him after and told him to lock in.
Yeah, you know what it was? He was reading the material low. He was internalizing the material while he was reading it. Joseph Sikora was already performing as Tommy. He already read everything. It was a little lopsided — but I had a communication with Chris Albrecht at the time, and he was like, “Are you sure this is the guy?” All it takes is for you to be betting on the wrong guy. I’m like, “Nah, he’s the right guy.” I seen him in Next Day Air with Mos Def and Wood Harris and I knew he could play the character. When I called him, I was like, “They questioning if you’re the right guy.”
He goes, “If they want to give it to somebody else, then they can give it to somebody else.” I’m like, “N—a, you got another plan?” What you talking about, “Give it to somebody else?” I’m telling you that to get you pumped up so you could get focused and be ready. Not for you to say, “Give it to somebody else.” I’m like, “God d–n, man.” We spent about an hour and a half on the phone and before we got off, he was in the right space. Thinking about it the right way. We took off and it worked out.
Yeah, he was perfect for that role. It’s crazy we’re here 10 years later and even after him getting killed off, the show was still so popular and kept going. What were some early memories of Las Vegas for you?
A lot of good times in Drai’s Nightclub. I don’t understand what they just did with BET [Hip- Hop Awards] though.
They had the award show in the nightclub. I’m like, “What the heck is this?”
I’m done with them. God d–n it! Is there anything else that’s gonna indicate we’re running out of money? What the f–k is going on at BET, bro? An award show in a nightclub? I can’t wait to see where they’re doing the Country Music Awards. It’s not gonna be at club Drai’s.
Would you ever stop doing club appearances?
When I go to the nightclub, this is when I’m kinda hearing everyone’s work, too. For me, I didn’t go to the nightclubs in the beginning of my career. Get Rich or Die Tryin’ took off so fast I had already sold 1.6 million copies by the second week. I was in arenas — I didn’t go to nightclubs. Only reason why I go to nightclubs is [because of] my spirits brand.
With you being a mentor, how big of an artist do you think Pop Smoke would’ve been?
I think he would’ve been the biggest one out here by now. He would’ve had a run that allowed him to be that. He was doing different kinds of music. He was singing and doing all these different things on these records. That’s why it was important for me to make sure the album went the right way. I stepped in and made sure it got executive produced. The second one wasn’t as good. Of course, it was because I wasn’t involved at that point.
There was records on the first album with young artists. I’m like, “I don’t give a f–k about rapping with these guys.” They’re not my peer group, where I’m excited to be on the song with them. I knew Roddy Ricch was in pocket all the way. That’s why I reached out to him and told him, “I need you to be on this record “The Woo.” That’s what really catapulted the album.
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