On his way to his tour stop in Kansas City at the Midland on Thursday night, ubiquitous rapper 50 Cent called The Pitch to discuss his upcoming movie, his literary taste, his politics, and why the rapper turned mogul still considers himself a work in progress.
The Pitch: So, the Internet is on fire with news about your weight loss for your upcoming movie role in Things Fall Apart. What's it like to have the world concerned with your diet habits?
50 Cent: I'm sure it's a shock and surprise to everyone that I'd commit to a project like that. A lot of actors have time, they're away for awhile. Because I'm consistent within hip-hop culture and constantly around some sort of public event, so it was a surprise. I was really looking for a project like this.
A friend of mine--a best friend--actually died of cancer. He was a friend who lived across the street from me growing up. It's a really relevant issue, considering one of eight people die of some sort of cancer. The process of me losing the actual weight? I was on a liquid diet for about 9 weeks.
So, tell me a little bit about the upcoming movie?
I play a Heisman hopeful that was hit with an actual illness. He's looking forward to going to the League. Then he goes from being the most valuable thing -- the biggest asset and biggest hope -- to someone they really don't have an interest in. It's an extreme project.
Things Fall Apart is also the title of a novel by African author Chinua Chebe. Has there been a single book that's been influential to you?
Seven Habits of Highly Successful People. I saw so many things in that book that applied to people that I've met. Some of the descriptions in the actual book were descriptions of people I actually knew, a lot of different people. A lot of people look at me like I've been extremely successful. But you know, when you get rich, you meet wealth ...
Lots of rap artists have made their way to movies. Why do you think that is?
I don't think it's a natural transition. Some artists develop a strong interest in it. They make their mark in it. Some of the best actors came from music. Will Smith or Queen Latifah or Ice Cube, for instance.
How has your experience as a rap artist helped you as an actor?
I developed a comfort in entertainment. It's like performing in front of 30,00, 40,000 people -- you get used to it. But going to the actual film process from there, it's a challenge. There's a totally different process of creating a good film, from creating a good record.
Let's flip to politics. You took some flak for once saying that you'd vote for President Bush. President Obama has faced a lot of obstacles so far. How would you rate him so far?
He did pretty good. He inherited the country under the worst state that it's been in. Some people wanted things to be immediately fixed. A lot of them don't have jobs. If you're not functional at this point -- the people that are actually reading this without jobs like you and me -- Obama is that figure that they can visibly be angry with.
You said in an interview once that if you would have had your choice, you would been a college kid and majored in business. Some would say there are some similarities to the street hustle and the corporate hustle. How has your experience on the streets influenced your success in business?
Absolutely, there are similarities between the hustling environment I grew up in and the corporate environment. I've been exposed to a lot of people in my life, so I understand that. The biggest lesson I learned was to know when to not go to market. An artist will listen to the music and be passionate to his idea, and not know how not to be pushing. If the public isn't embracing it, you pump your brakes and create something new.
Rap careers come and go. What's separated you from other artists with short-lived careers?
The majority of rappers will have one great song, but they're not marketable to the point to be successful, or they don't have a passion or interest in business. For me, I learned a lot in the actual music business from knowing I don't know everything. When I broke into the business, I said to myself, "Let me find out what I need to learn."
You've done about everything possible--from books to movies to video games. You've got all the money you'll ever need. What's left to accomplish at this point?
The new idea. Like reading a screenplay you're excited about it and no one else is. I was the first person to read Things Fall Apart, and I was like, "This is gonna be great." You can actually look at things and people can read it and understand it differently because you liked it. My goal is to keep changing. I'm a work in progress. Publications like DuPont Registry. Exquisite living. It's all a dream. People are conditioned to want something they don't need. Whatever we have, whatever we say we have, we think, "What could be better than this?" We probably have everything we need.
There are lots of young artists in Kansas City trying to make a name for themselves in a city that's not always receptive to hip-hop. Any advice?
My advice would be to write your perspective. They'll have a moment. There'll be a time period that separates you from everyhthing else. The things I wrote in Get Rich or Die Tryin' were genuine. Get Rich or Die Tryin' changed everyone's mind. They weren't afraid to invest in an artist with aggressive content. You could say that craziest things you wanted to. And everyone's perspective changed.
Showing 1-2 of 2
I do not know if this is true, but I have heard that Curtis made $50 million in music and $150 million in Vitamin Water!
like
dislike
