According to 50 Cent, both he and Eminem turned down a large fee to perform at last year’s FIFA World Cup. The tournament, which was hosted in Qatar, drew widespread criticism over a number of human rights issues, including the status of migrant workers working on building stadiums and the Middle Eastern country’s views on homosexuality.
50 Cent recently claimed that he and Eminem were asked to perform a duet during the tournament, with an eyewatering $9 million up for grabs. Talking on the Big Boy’s Neighbourhood show, 50 said, “Because of the Super Bowl, I got an inquiry about World Cup, and they had a budget of $9 million. I would’ve taken one, and then the other eight would have been for him.”
The legendary rapper made a surprise appearance at the Super Bowl halftime show last year alongside Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, Mary J Blige and Snoop Dogg. However, 50 spoke with Eminem’s manager, Paul Rosenberg, and learned that he wasn’t interested in playing at the World Cup.
“They’re like, he’s not gonna do it,” 50 added. “If you would do a one-off show, maybe you would do the biggest live sporting event in the world.” A number of other celebrities removed themselves from being remotely involved in the tournament.
Amongst them were Dua Lipa, who vehemently denied rumours that she was set to play, and Rod Stewart also announced the fact that he had turned down the opportunity to perform in Qatar.
In other 50 Cent news, the rapper recently announced that he is working on a TV reboot of Eminem’s classic film 8 Mile. He said, “We in motion. It’s gonna be big. I’m working. I ain’t got no duds. I’m batting 100… I think it should be there for [Eminem’s] legacy because it’s important to me that they understand it.”
