The big problem 50 Cent had with a judgemental Oprah Winfrey: “Against everything that was in my music”
50 Cent is a rapper, actor and businessman who has had a huge impact on hip-hop culture. From his legendary debut album Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ to his endeavours in film and television, Fifty has become one of hip-hop’s most successful Tycoons.
The emcee’s debut album sold over 12million units and is a nine-time Platinum project. Since 2003, the lyricist has continued to reach unparalleled heights. Moreover, he has made a lot of money along the way. However, when he first arrived on the scene, he was not loved by everyone.
Although Jay-Z and 50 Cent never had an official feud, Fifty posed a real threat to Jay’s domination of the New York rap scene and, in 2003, despite the release of Hov’s The Black Album, 50 Cent was the rapper moving the units. As part of Aftermath alongside Dr Dre and Eminem, the ‘In Da Club’ rhymer was in the company of the highest-selling rapper in the US and one of the most potent producers in the culture.
Jay-Z and 50 Cent never had a feud, but Fifty did butt heads with other artists, including Fat Joe, Ja Rule, Diddy and more. However, one person who had an extreme disdain for 50 Cent when he first emerged was billionaire talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
In his 2020 book, Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter, 50 Cent not only gave readers an insight into his life before fame but also unveiled some of the strange twists and turns that took place after he became a household name. From the death of his mother and drug dealing to getting shot and being kicked out of his house, Fifty tells all. Still, one of the most intriguing revelations in the book is the mini-feud the rapper had with Oprah Winfrey.
After giving a thorough, detailed account of his childhood, Fifty revealed that when he became famous, he was desperate to go on Oprah Winfrey’s show Oprah, not for himself but to show his grandmother, who was a huge Winfrey fan. However, on multiple occasions, she had expressed her hatred for the emcee’s music due to its gun violence and mild misogyny.
Strangely, the rejection hurt Fifty and in an interview with The Guardian, he once unveiled, “She was completely against everything that was in my music. So she ain’t never going to have me on that show. I’m never going to reach that platform, which is confirmation of you being a huge success. So I just said, ‘OK, if we can’t be friends, then at least let’s be enemies.’”
He did end up reconciling with Winfrey and later went on her show. In his Guardian interview, although he admitted some of his lyrics may have been misogynistic or excessively violent, he explained, “The truth is, all things come from your experience. Like, I got shot nine times, and I wrote music about it. Everyone writes something that can connect in a big way based on a painful moment.”