The free ride is over at 50 Cent's G-Unit Records.
The rap mogul has confessed he was overgenerous with artists on his label. In fact, Fitty spent $8.5 million of his own money to take a lot of the rappers on his most recent tour so that they could bring their entourages - and so that everyone could travel, as he says, "comfortably."
Not only that, he'd hand out hundreds of thousands of dollars to them at a time just for the asking, Sacha Jenkins writes in the new issue of XXL magazine. "Whether I got to give them $500,000 or $300,000 ... Just 'cause they want $300,000 more to make what they [are] doing at the time comfortable. Like, 'yo, I want to get this new place over here.' "
Sure, 50's got plenty of do-re-mi: His albums "Get Rich or Die Tryin' " and "The Massacre" sold 20 million copies combined. And though his album "curtis" is delayed till September, he's getting a payday playing a boxer in the Nicolas Cage movie "The Dance," and a drug dealer in "Righteous Kill" with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. And there are the clothing and sneaker lines - and at least $100 million more he stands to make now that coca-cola has bought Glaceau, which owns Fitty's Formula 50 Vitamin Water.
But still, he called a meeting and told the artists at his label that the free ride was over.
"Laze was there as representation of M.O.P., Havoc and Prodigy," he told the hip-hop mag. "Banks, Buck. Spider was on the phone. Olivia was there. Sha Money was there. I broke it down. I told them I wouldn't be assisting them financially anymore. Pretty much I was telling them I wouldn't be there. [In the past] they'd make a lot of money and spend a lot of money and have me there to fix it."
There was another problem. "I looked around the room, and I was the only person with G-Unit sneakers on. But they were being paid," he adds. "It had become the norm for the check to come, but they were no longer wearing the clothes."
Still, 50 lives in the largest mansion in connecticut - Mike Tyson's former spread. He moved there from a basement room in his grandmother's house in Queens, where, in a visit beautifully shot by Ben Watts, 50 ruminates: "When I come back here ... it's like my feet are on the ground."
Now that's just fucked up how they are getting paid for a sneaker line and aren't even wearing the shoes. That tells me that they think the shit is whack! How could you run around yelling 'G-Unit' and you're not even loyal enough to wear your own gear? That's some foul shit. Yet you wanna ride around in lear jets and bring all your homies with you so ya'll can showboat together. I'm not big on Fiddy, but I can only imagine how stressed out he is. First, he got a BM that's greedier than a mutha, then he out here taking care of his label mates' friends. See, it don't pay to run yourself ragged trying to take care of folks who are able to take care of themselves. You'll be stressed out, which can lead to an early grave. There's nothing wrong with helping folks out every now and again, but when they start taking advantage of the situation, that's when it becomes a big headache, and you're the one broke in the end.
i understand where he's comin from.. i mean the artists are makin money on there records and they needa spend there own money instead of keepin it n sayin ohh lets juss spend 50's... they need to learn how to save there money instead of blowin it all.. 50 learned how to save his money so they can too...
50 should have cut all of that off from jump. When he first started letting them cut their own records that should've been it. He should've been like "ok you got ya own cd or songs out so you need to get out there and promote and let people know that you're trying to do your own thing and not just ride off me". What happened is they got too damn comfortable and lazy. Like "yeah I got few songs out there so when 50 goes on tour, I'll spit a couple of bars, or in Olivia's case sing a few notes, and collect my check then chill"! That's how FREE-LOADIN beeshes do!
As far as them not having on the GUnit clothing at a meeting that's no big deal. He shouldn't expect them to wear it on a DAILY basis to regular things like meetings but when they're out promoting anything affiliated with G Unit or out making appearances at any type of event then yeah they should be G Unit down! B/c if it wasn't for G Unit, no one would know who the hayle they are!
One thing I really LIKE about 50 is that he aint gonna be played by anyone and he damn sure will speak his mind and not give a fuck how anyone feels afterwards!
