How 50 Cent became a media mogul with ‘Power’
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How 50 Cent became a media mogul with 'Power'

New York rapper 50 Cent is certainly a character, and from his humorous social media antics to his star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, the rapper-turned-media mogul has definitely reached extraordinary heights in his career and is truly a tycoon.

The rapper (real name Curtis Jackson) was born and raised in the South Jamaica neighbourhood of Queens in New York, and was discovered by Eminem following the release of his debut mixtape Guess Who’s Back? Shortly after, he signed with Eminem’s Shady Records under Interscope and began work on his debut album, Get Rich Or Die Tryin’, which is widely considered legendary.

However, although 50 Cent’s first three albums sold extremely well by 2007, along with the likes of Diddy and others, Jackson found himself in the luxurious land of the rich that is Hollywood. Making his transition into media, 50 Cent’s big break in the field came with his series Power,

The crime drama series, which aired on the subscription service Starz did exceptionally well and was subsequently made available across all streaming services in the US and the UK. However, Jackson had to fight to have creative control with the series that turned into a multi-million dollar franchise.

In an interview with GQ, the rapper let it be known that the network was extremely hesitant and unsure about casting Omari Hardwick for the lead role of nightclub owner and drug dealer James. However, insistent and knowing he had leverage, Jackson told Starz that Hardwick was to take the lead role or else Power would end up on another network.

With Omari as lead, Power became Starz’s most-viewed program by the end of its six-season run, averaging around 10 million viewers per episode. This led to the creation of several spinoffs, including the likes of Power UniversePower Book II: GhostPower Book III: Raising Kanan, and Power Book IV: Force.

50 Cent has also made sure to incorporate hip hop and R’n’B into his media endeavours and has cast the likes of Mary J. Blige, Method Man and even Eminem in his projects. Watch a trailer for Power in the video below.