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50 Cent knows all about drama.
He's been shot, accused of murder, and his song "How
To Rob" incited quite a few rappers back in the
fall of 1999. A little over three years later, 50's
back, and calling out all the fake gangsters on his
new joint, "Wanksta." So how does one handle
all of this drama? Well, according to the now 26 year
old 50 Cent, "I'm special. Special people have
a higher tolerance."
The biggest drama in 50 Cent's
life right now is his war of words with Ja Rule. Ja
has made statements that he could take out all of Aftermath,
and comments like that just make 50 laugh. "I think
he's a clown, all he's missin is a red nose, a wig,
and the shoes." Ja Rule also claims that 50 Cent
is scared of him due to an incident back in '99, an
incident 50 describes as nothing more than a squabble
that resulted in neither having to go to a hospital.
50 notes that most of what Ja Rule has been saying is
simply another form of promotion. "Seven days before
his album drops he goes to radio says I have an order
of protection on him," 50 takes a second to laugh
and continues, "c'mon, (Ja Rule) weighs 110 pounds
wet, and with his pockets full of change."
One thing's for sure, 50 Cent,
who's name is intentionally taken from the 50 Cent who
was a gangster from the Fort Green Projects in Brooklyn,
is biting his tongue for no man. His biggest problems
with acts like Ja Rule is that he feels they're nothing
but "studio gangsters." "There's a lot
(of studio gangsters), I think that 90% of the population
in hip-hop..... I don't believe them. Until I see them
go through situations I ain't gonna believe it."
One situation that 50 went
through recently was having his name thrown around in
the Jam Master Jay murder investigation. "He got
killed so close to where I grew up, and they don't have
any answers and they say 'who's you're enemies, who's
you're friends,' and cuz he was a good guy (and didn't
have enemies) they have to say 'who's his friends?'
They say 50 Cent, and then they say 'he's not an angel.'"
Friendship is almost an understatement
for how 50 feels about Jam Master Jay. 50 explains,
"Jam Master Jay is the first producer I ever recorded
with, period. First record I ever record was with Jay
in a studio in Rosedale. I didn't know how to count
bars, write choruses, and I kinda learned that under
him."
All that being said, 50 knew
there were other reasons his name would come up in the
murder investigation. "They (the police) think
just because of prior situations, things before music,
even things that didn't happen in the hood, they might
call your name and it wasn't you. One time they were
chasin me, (they) thought I killed two girls in Bricktown.
I had the same motorcycle (as the suspect), and was
accustomed to runnin from the cops. They thought I fit
the description. The same detectives is in that unit.
The same homicide detectives from the precinct Jay got
hit at. They already had a perception of who I am."
A perception that wasn't aided
by other events, such as 50 getting shot a few years
back, just as he was signing his first publishing deal.
"I actually got shot and signed the deal in the
hospital. I received the first half of the deal, the
other half I was supposed to get when the album was
released, but right after I got it they found I got
shot they dropped the deal, said I wouldn't be able
to perform, and used it as a tax write-off." The
money he received upfront, however, was enough to keep
50 happy for quite a while, hence the long layoff between
hits. "I knew I was gonna be alright, and I never
needed for anything during that time period from the
finances."
Events such as shootings, and
accusations of murder, have turned 50's life around.
"Like everyone else, you have a past, a history,
and people. They say in AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) to
kick your habits you gotta change your people, places
and things. I'm learnin, I'm growin, I mean everybody
as a person should be."
A result of this growth was
his linking up with Eminem. Paul Rosenberg was given
a copy of 50's CD by 50's attorney, and Rosenberg, in
turn, passed it on to Em. As soon as Em finished up
"The Eminem Show" the conversations between
him and 50 began, and it wouldn't be long before 50
became a member of the Shady Records roster.
Despite being on a label, 50
knows about pushing his product himself. If you can't
find a 50 cent mixtape, you're probably not looking
very hard; they're everywhere. "I look at it like
the mixtape is entry level Hip-Hop," explains 50,
who continued "I think people purchase that to
hear what's hot and what's new, and I was able to market
myself the way I wanted to market myself. If I wanted
to put a gun on a CD it's OK. People haven't seen a
gun on a CD since 'Criminal Minded.'"
Business minded would be a
better description of 50 Cent, as he's already set to
drop "In The Club," the first single off of
his upcoming album, and "Wanksta" is still
blazing up the charts. It seems Ja Rule won't be very
happy, as, barring any more drama, we're going to be
hearing a lot from 50 Cent in the near future.
Interview by Adam Bernard for ReactMag.com
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