Hip-Hop

50 Cent has made many, many millions during his long run as the G-Unit general. But in a new chat on Apple Music’s The Rebecca Judd Show recorded backstage at his Nov. 21 show at London’s O2 during the European leg of Fif’s The Final Lap tour, 50 tackled some burning questions tied to the 20th anniversary of his breakthrough debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and the first purchase he made after hitting it big.
“I bought my grandmother a C220 Benz. I’ll never forget because when I got the car, I got it right away is the first thing I bought when the deal was done,” 50 (born Curtis Jackson) said of his 2002 signing to Em’s Shady Records, which was under the umbrella of Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Records.

“And then I went on the tour and I came back and my grandfather was on the porch and he was having a moment,” 50 continued. “So he was like, ‘I just went to work. I went to work, hurt my back, came back, and she done brainwashed my kids.’ And he was talking about my grandmother because he was looking at her car in the front yard and he didn’t have a car. He had the older car and he said, ‘I went to work, hurt my back. Until my back hurt, everything.’”

Though he has since punched his own ticket and racked up millions through acting and brand extensions, 50 still can’t believe he was able to buy Mike Tyson’s fabled 50,000-square foot mansion in Farmington, CT. “We went on a world tour and we came back. I had $38 million in my account. The IRS are coming, [so it’s like] – buy it,” he said of the thought process behind buying the massive home in the interview in which he also pointed out his least favorite song on the Get Rich album. “Whatever you want, buy that s–t because they’re just going to take the money anyway. At that point, buy it or they need take it. You need expenses.”

Needed to show some expenses on his books, 50 said he could not think of something else that would “create a bigger comfortability for me at the time. And then anybody that you talked to in finances would look at it and say, yeah, you can… If you buy a property, it’s $3 million or $4 million and you just made $38 million. And yes, this is good for your taxes actually, that you made the purchase and you should buy some cars.”

That’s all well and good, but 50 also admitted that despite all that room to roam he still can’t walk around the house naked. You say, “How much did I pay to live in this motherf–ker and I can’t be naked, at all,” said the father of 11-year-old son Sire, who also has a 26-year-old son from a pervious relationship.

But it’s not because of the little one that 50 can’t participate in Naked Tuesdays.

“Other people can actually walk around their house naked if they feel like it. They bought the motherf–ker, they own it,” he said. “They can do what they feel like. Right? And I couldn’t because I bought a place that had a staff people there. And look, if I came out of the room naked and they saw me…”

Ms. Lauryn Hill has had to push back the 25th anniversary tour celebrating her landmark Grammy-winning The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill album once again. The singer told fans in a statement on Tuesday (Nov. 21) that her ongoing issues with a severe vocal strain mean that she has to push the remaining dates on the outing into 2024.
“Id like to start this off by saying how much I’ve enjoyed being on the road, and how much I appreciate all of the fans who have come out to celebrate this incredible milestone anniversary and history making reunion with us. Being able to tour this album to sold out crowds after 25 years has been an emotional experience!” Hill wrote in an Instagram post accompanied by footage of her straining through a performance of “Ex-Factor,” her voice audibly hoarse and scratchy.

According to a statement from her spokesperson, Hill has been suffering from the side effects of nightly use of the steroid prednisone to treat her vocal condition; common side effects of using prednisone include dizziness, irregular heartbeat, headaches, irritability, rattling breathing, numbness in arms/legs, shortness of breath and labored breathing.

Hill addressed those unintended consequences in the post. “As many of you may know, I’ve been battling serious vocal strain for the past month. I made it through each show by taking prescribed prednisone, but this can be detrimental to the body when taken in large amounts over long periods of time,” she wrote. “In order to prevent any long term negative affect on my voice and my body, I need to take time off to allow for real vocal recovery so that I can discontinue the medication completely.”

Last month, Hill postponed a run of shows to “heal and rest” her voice, including a gig in Philadelphia that was originally slated to take place early in the run of shows that also find her reuniting on stage with her Fugees bandmates Wyclef Jean and Pras. She paid tribute to the pair in Tuesday’s note about the tour postponement.

“I’ve loved sharing the stage again with Wyclef and Pras. The Return of the Fugees has been powerful and amazing — those who’ve witnessed it can testify,” she wrote. “The tour itself reminds us the artists, and the audiences alike of earlier, perhaps less complicated times when ‘It could all be so simple…’ or ‘Ready Or Not, here I come!’ were on repeat on the airwaves. Simply put, classic. Classic music, classic performances with audiences who love those classics has been nothing but…wait for it…EPIC. (I almost said classic again! 🙀).”

The note ended with Hill breaking the news that the remainder of this year’s scheduled gigs — including shows in Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte, Huntsville, Tampa, Miami and Boston — will be pushed to next year. The exception is Saturday night’s (Nov. 25) already rescheduled gig at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

“The shows that were cancelled this year will be rescheduled for early 2024 AND because of the overwhelming response, we’ll be adding new cities to the tour, including overseas,” Hill added, noting that her team is working on a new calendar of dates that they plan to announce soon.

Check out Hill’s post below.

Cardi B had some pointed words for a commenter on X (formerly known as Twitter), who appeared to take shots at the “Bongos” rapper after a recent post in which Cardi posed at the gym in butt-hugging leggings that showed off her famous backside. “I hate influencers who do this get all the surgery acting […]

Ludacris has done a lot of living in the past eight years. But the one thing he hasn’t done during that time is release any new music. But in a new interview with BET, Luda said it’s time to get back into the game.
“Yeah, some music projects will be coming out next year. I don’t wanna fake, I don’t wanna stutter-step,” Ludacris said. “It’s definitely some music coming next year, but I don’t know if it’s like an EP or an LP. We’re going to figure it out.”

Asked why he’s been off the radar since his ninth LP, 2015’s Ludaversal — which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and included features from Usher, Miguel and Monica — the rapper said his acting has definitely kept him out of the studio. Since his last album, he’s appeared in four Fast & Furious movies, as well as The Ride, End of the Road and the new holiday movie, Dashing Through the Snow.

“These movie projects like Fast & Furious and doing a lot of things like the Karma’s World project that’s on Netflix. You know, doing other art forms where I’m creative, where I’m putting my heart into that, I want to make sure that I leave a legacy on this earth,” said the MC who also got a honorary bachelor’s degree in music from Georgia State last summer. “So it was just taking a step back and getting hungry again, living some life. ‘Cause when you put out music, in order for it to be organic and real, you gotta talk about what goes on in your life. So if I had like nine consistent albums, sometimes you gotta take a step back and live some life so that you have a lot more to talk about and that’s what I was doing.”

As for what the new tunes will sound like, Luda said it’s a “little premature” to talk about it because he’s working on “a lot of stuff.” In the meantime, he’s been dropping freestyles on his social feeds, including a killer one on 4/20 and one last November in which he caught fans up on his prodigious career achievements.

Given his impressive movie resume, Ludacris said he still has some boxes he’d like to check on that side, including playing a villain on the big screen. “I definitely would love to be a part of the Marvel universe or DC universe, but I wouldn’t mind playing the villain that doesn’t die,” he said. “That’s what I’m looking for — one of those roles or like a Training Day villain-type role.”