Photo Credit: Spencer Lowell for Forbes.
RELATED: 50 Cent – The Funeral [Music Video]
A decade plus and 30 million album sales later, Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson has finally decided to head into the Interscope hall-of-fame and pursue other opportunities in his music career. Yesterday, reports surfaced that the legendary Queens rapper had left the label for Caroline & Capitol Records (both subsidiaries of the Universal Music Group who head Interscope).
He sat down with FORBES magazine to discuss the new venture deal with Universal, which he revealed is similar to Bryan “Birdman” Williams, for both distribution and promotional support. Along with his first album in over nearly 5 years, Animal Ambition confirmed for this June 3rd, he started the new campaign today with a visual coincidentally dubbed “The Funeral.”
After the jump, you can read all about how 50 used his relationships with Eminem and Dr. Dre to maneuver out of a deal he still owed one last album; and not having to front any money, in comparison to JAY Z’s infamous $5 million buyout last year for the Magna Carta Holy Grail.
OS REWIND: 50 Cent, Styles P & Jadakiss In The Studio
OS REWIND: DJ Kay Slay – Free Again (feat. 50 Cent & Fat Joe)
OS REWIND: 50 Cent Announces Departure From Interscope, New Deal With Caroline/Capitol
It’s freedom to invest in your own ideas. If ever I had a horse that I was betting on at the track, I’d like to be the horse. Let it be me, goddammit, because I’m going to run as hard as I can.
Steve Berman, Vice Chairman of Interscope/Geffen/A&M, said in a press release: “50 Cent is, and always will be, a marquee artist for us. We respect his decision to pursue this new venture and the next chapter in his career, and wish him nothing but the best. He will always be a part of our family.”
“I’m a special case and situation. It’s also because of the leverage of having the strong relationships with Eminem and Dr. Dre. They don’t want to me to be uncomfortable. They value our friendship to the point that they would never want [to jeopardize] it over that little bit of money. It’s having the ability to do that versus, It’s out of the question, Now those options have opened up.”
Eminem briefly discussed the departure saying, “I’ve developed a great friendship with 50 over the years, and that’s not going to change. We know 50 will have success in his new situation, and we remain supporters of both him and G-Unit.”
[Source]