50 CENT - I MAY NOT TOUR AGAIN

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By Adeniyi Onaara

As 50 Cent embarks on a world tour commemorating the 20th anniversary of hip-hop classic “Get Rich or Die Tryin,” he says it will likely be his last on this scale.

“I’m not going to be able to tour like this again.” “My film and TV production stuff doesn’t allow me,” stated the rapper, who will soon be seen in “Expendables 4” opposite Sylvester Stallone.

He accepted a “significant pay cut” to transition from music to television a decade ago, most notably with the smash sitcom “Power,” but saw it as a savvy business decision.

“My target audience is older. With my film and television work, I’m directly speaking to my target audience. I don’t want to be without them… They made me a success.”

50 Cent, actual name Curtis Jackson, celebrates his 48th birthday this week as he prepares to embark on the “Final Lap” tour, which will take him across North America, Europe, and Australasia, with more dates to be added in Asia and beyond.

It has already sold over 600,000 tickets, which “Fiddy” adds modestly, “would be impressive for other guys, but I’m 50 Cent.”

The only thing that may entice him back after this is if his former gurus, Eminem and Dr. Dre, joined him.

“If I could get Em and Dre out of the house, I’d be back on the road, but I don’t think that’ll happen,” he remarked.

– ‘Wouldn’t be able to stop growing’ –

Launched in February 2003, his debut was one of the fastest-selling records of all time, boosted by a colourful backstory of true-life gangsterism, including time in prison and an attempted assassination in which he was shot nine times.

Debut single “In Da Club” is still a huge hit thanks to its evergreen refrain, “Hey, Shorty, it’s your birthday”.

And the rapper is still 114th on Spotify’s worldwide rankings despite not releasing a studio album since 2014.

There was debate over which single to launch at the time, with Dr Dre pushing for “If I Can’t”.

“But I thought, no, we gotta go with ‘Go Shorty, it’s your birthday’. Coz every day is someone’s birthday and makes the song relevant again,” said Jackson.

“And the shit wouldn’t stop growing. I got a plaque now because it’s been played a billion times on Spotify. We weren’t even listening to shit on Spotify back then.”

He remembers the moment, sitting on a tour bus heading for Washington DC, when he heard that the album had gone past 800,000 sales in the first week.

“At the time I thought if I could pray for just one thing, it was for that record to be a success. But one thing I learned about myself is I just want more wishes,” he said, laughing.

“There was so much success and energy it started to feel like I could have whatever I wanted. The album was called ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and I was, like, ‘No, let me die later. This feels great.’”

All the adulation and partying went to his head, of course.

“If they had clinically tested me at the time, they would have said I was crazy.”

– ‘Moving too fast’ –

Despite the whirlwind of sudden fame, Jackson parlayed the success into a mini-empire, creating clothing lines, video games, health foods and fragrances – as well as his own high-end champagne and cognac.

The latter recently landed him in some bother with Remy Martin, who sued him for allegedly copying their bottle.

“They felt I was moving too fast, so they put some pressure on me,” he said.

“They picked the wrong guy coz I spend a million dollars a year on legal fees anyway – just for recreational purposes it feels like sometimes.”

He has settled the suit and agreed to change the bottle, and adds that his new cognac is up there with Remy Martin’s fabled Louis XIII vintage.