21 Questions for 50 Cent

50 Cent is everywhere.

He’s on billboards, magazine covers, CDs, radio programs, television talk shows, and now he can be seen on the silver screen in “Get Rich Or Die Tryin’,” which is loosely based on his life story.

That story is the stuff of legends. 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, grew up without a father in the drug-plagued New York neighborhood of South Jamaica, Queens. He started selling crack at the age of 12 after his mother—a dealer herself—was murdered. Jackson almost suffered the same fate. A near-fatal shooting in 2000 left him with nine bullet wounds but sent his life in a different direction: music.

By all accounts, 50’s rap career has been hugely successful. Earlier this year, he became the first recording artist since the Beatles to simultaneously have four singles in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. His latest solo album, “The Massacre,” is this year’s top selling record.

According to an estimate in The New York Times, 50 is worth $50 million. His moniker has been used to sell clothing, sneakers, watches, and even Vitamin Water. Later this month, a video game called “50 Cent: Bulletproof” will hit store shelves, just in time for the holidays.

Indeed, “Get Rich Or Die Tryin,’” the title of 50’s film, has become his life’s slogan. But does 50 really believe that life is all about hustling for cash? Could he be so shallow? In a recent college conference call with 50, The Crimson tried to find out.

‘IN THE PUBLIC EYE’

As 50 begins to speak, I immediately recognize his slur. (When he was shot in 2000, one of the bullets tore through his cheek and jaw, leaving a fragment of metal in his tongue.) I ask 50 if he thinks “get rich or die tryin’” is a hopeful message.

“If you’re a real person and a positive person and they say, ‘get rich or die tryin’,’ you’re going to automatically assume this person is determined,” 50 says. “But if your perception of the person is negative, then you think it’s literally ‘get rich or die tryin’.’”

50 is often perceived as a thug who still adheres to the code of the streets. But he’s a pop star now, and his image has softened a bit since he left the ’hood. Nevertheless, 50 says he thinks people judge musicians—especially rappers—more harshly than other artists.

He cites as an example of this double standard the public outcry over the advertisements for his movie, one of which shows him with a gun in his waistband and a baby in his arm. “In my eyes,” 50 says, “the photograph that I’m showing you is I’m a protector in the situation…I’m going to do whatever it takes to get to what I’m trying to do.”

Guns frequently appear in action movie ads, 50 says, and with little protest. “They are pointing at me at this point because there are certain standards placed on music as an art form that aren’t applied to any other forms of entertainment,” he explains. “Because I’m coming from music, they feel like it’s promoting violence directly.”

On the subject of music, 50 says he doesn’t fit into a single genre: “I’m pop because I’m popular, and [I’m also] gangsta rap…but I’ve never been in a gang.” Few would call him a “conscious” rapper, and he has no problem with that. “I guess to be [a conscious rapper] is to try and be a teacher or to be positive,” he says. “But those artists don’t sell because people don’t want to be taught. People want to have a good time.”

‘BEST THING I’VE DONE’

Without a doubt, 50 gives people what they want, in both his high-energy songs and his fantasy-world music videos. It was only a matter of time before he followed his mentor, Eminem—who starred in the 2002 film “8 Mile” as a Detroit battle rapper—to Hollywood.

“Get Rich Or Die Tryin’” tells the story of a drug-dealer named Marcus (50 Cent) who decides to pursue hip hop after being shot nine times. There are parallels between 50’s life and Marcus’, but 50 says that doesn’t mean his job as an actor was easy. “They think because it’s based on my life story that I’m playing myself,” 50 says of his critics. “You still have to really act in the film.”

Director Jim Sheridan (“In America”) led 50 through every scene, and 50 was more than willing to follow. “I hadn’t made a film before so I would be a fool to be standing there saying, ‘No, we should do it like this.’ So I let [Sheridan] do what he does best and I got into character and did what I had to do to give a good performance.”

50 says the film is “the best thing I’ve done so far,” though he admits he didn’t do it for the money. He says he actually took a pay cut by choosing to spend three-and-a-half months filming in New York and Toronto last Spring instead of touring around the world. So why did he sign up?

“I did it because I felt like it was an opportunity to draw everyone close to me,” he says, adding that he hopes the movie will help the public understand where he came from and where he’s headed. Another film project, however, is not a big priority for 50: “As far as acting is concerned, I won’t do it again until I find a script…that’s exciting enough for me to commit to it.”

HUSTLER’S AMBITION

Throughout the interview, 50 avoids talking about how he thinks his art influences young fans. I approach the issue from a personal angle by bringing up his 9-year-old son Marquise. I want to know if 50 lets Marquise listen to his music and watch his videos.

“I show him everything,” 50 says. “I show him all my music. He [sees] everything that comes on television because I can’t hide these things from him.”

While 50 shies away from discussing what many describe as the objectification of women in his videos, he does offer an explanation for why he exposes his son to explicit content: “[As a parent,] you can either say, ‘Listen, you can do this and we can talk about it, or you can do this when I’m not paying attention and make your own assumptions about it.’”

He may not be the best role model, but 50 is a shrewd business mogul with an intense drive to make money. Why should we hold that against him?

“I don’t believe ambition is a learned behavior,” he says during the interview. “I believe it’s part of your character. I realize that coming up without finances, it felt like finances would be the answer to all my problems. It wasn’t until I acquired the finances that I realized what truly makes me happy is setting goals and accomplishing them.” Maybe 50 Cent isn’t that shallow after all.

—Staff writer Andrew C. Esensten can be reached at esenst@fas.harvard.edu.