By Rahul Lal
Curtis Jackson, aka 50 Cent, has a new album in the works and a new season of Power, so he sat down with N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN on their Drink Champs Podcast on CBS Radio’s Play.it podcast to discuss both, as well as opine on the upcoming presidential election.
Jackson came back to hip-hop’s main stage with his 2014 release of Animal Ambition, his first studio album since 2009. While his new album, Street King Immortal is set to drop next month, the 41-year-old star has not slowed down his work ethic in the slightest contributing to many albums from other rappers in the meantime.
“I did like 36 records in like 18 days,” said Jackson. “I’m recording like that; I’m doing what Tupac was doing when he knew he could go back to jail.”
Jackson said that Get Rich or Die Tryin’ was easily his favorite album because his life “was literally that” a the time he recorded it.
Jackson, who has always had a ‘you’re either with me or against me’ type of personality, and spoke about his penchant for getting into beefs.
“I didn’t start any of these alteracations…they’re picking a reason to go at the kid ‘cause he keeps winning,” Jackson said as he likened himself to rapper Drake. “There’s nobody that’s going to sit in that seat and not have confidence, not have artists uncomfortable with you…when that was happening with me, they wouldn’t see the slap, they’d just hear the shot following. They wouldn’t see the person poking me.”
As the conversation dove more into the idea of the media twisting around words, N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN brought up presidential candidate Donald Trump and asked Jackson, who has been pictured with the candidate on numerous occasions, about his opinions.
“I took pictures with Donald Trump, I’m places where [he’s] at so they look and see those photographs like ‘Oh, okay. So 50 are you endorsing Donald Trump because I saw a picture of you and him?’” said the rapper. “I’m like ‘Don’t ask me no s— like that. You didn’t hear him say Mexican people should be just behind a wall? That’s some f—ed up s—, man.”
Jackson had some ideas about who should run in Trump’s place if he had the choice: “I think Kanye should run…I don’t care if he loses, I just want him to run.”
50 has also taken on other ventures outside of music and one of those is the television show, Power. Jackson created, produced and stars in the hit show. The show is often compared to the similarly famous Empire due to the nature of topics and characters.
Jackson was heavily criticized for his controversial comments stating that the show’s decrease in ratings could be attributed to one of the main characters being gay. He explained that he has no problem with having gay characters as his own show has and one of his favorite shows, The Wire, had as well. Jackson elaborated that, instead, he didn’t believe the public would openly grasp onto the concept of having a more feminine, male character immediately.
Jackson’s ex-girlfriend, Vivica Fox, was casted on Empire for their second season creating even more tension between the two shows. Fox went on air to promote her role and made controversial comments about Jackson’s own sexuality, though she later took it back.
“When she makes a cameo, she’s not even in the show. [She’s] not a series regular, she’s just in the show, right?” said Jackson. “She goes to do some publicity for it and because she feels like she has to respond like now she’s on Team Empire and I’m over there [on Team Power].”
It sounds like Jackson isn’t too upset over the beef between Fox and himself.
To hear to Part 1 of the interview, listen to the latest episode of Drink Champs Podcast now at Radio.com.
