50 Cent Interview : I Play Bulletproof With My Son

[SNaKe]

GUnitWorld.com: New York gangsta rapper Curtis Jackson III, aka 50 Cent, released the biggest-selling debut album of all time in 2003 and dominates the hip hop scene. His life story - mother murdered when he was eight, selling crack by age 12, shot nine times - has been turned into a film (out on January 20) and forms the basis for his ultra-violent video game Bulletproof.


Who came up with the idea for a 50 Cent video game?
I came up with the idea. I had been approached by companies to do voiceovers for their games. They were so determined to get me to do it that I decided to create my own game.


How long did it take to do?
All three of my projects - my autobiography, the film and Bulletproof - took more than a year and a half. I was working on them all at the same time. It's great for me as far as the marketing is concerned: all those things keep everything focused on 50 Cent. I'm the core of all the products. I'm probably one of the 100 most notable people now but before I'm done, I'll be in the Top Ten [deep, slightly scary, laugh].


Why, what are you planning?
I've just completed a development deal, so I'll be producing films in the future. And if I come across a screenplay that is as exciting as my life story was to me, I'll commit to it.


Aren't you worried we might reach 50 Cent saturation point?
No, many projects aren't even music. G-Unit clothes, G-Unit sneakers, possibly six artists coming out next year on G-Unit Records - none of that is 50 Cent.


Um, well, it is really...
Sure, I'm associated with it and they're my companies but it's not me as an artist. So, while all that's going on next year, I'll be in the studio, recording music. You know what determines whether you stay or you go as an entertainer? How well you're prepared to entertain. That's it, bottom line. Over-saturation is something that should be considered for artists who can't recreate themselves. What people aren't used to is having an artist with enough business savvy to create these ventures for themselves. Normally, you get people who are so creative that all they can do is create. Then you have other people whose talents are to take advantage of talented people. They become really well-off, while the talented people go up, come down and end up on the street.


Were you surprised at all the criticism levelled at Bulletproof?
Not really. I've been subjected to different things throughout my career, my entire life. Coming into music, being honest was new, so saying, "yeah, I sold drugs before" made me the worst person in music. Telling the truth made people feel like I had no compassion for the situation but the reality is I did. So when they see me with a gun on a poster and they begin protesting, it's like, what are you protesting for? They don't realise how often the major film companies utilise weapons on the cover of a motion picture. Guns say action. James Bond's logo is a gun pointing right at you; Rambo...

I play Bulletproof with my nine-year-old son but I turn down the volume because there's a lot of swearing in the game
There was a lot of controversy about Rambo at the time.
Yeah, well they say these things and the movies are big hits because of it, which means the public is interested in that. People are interested in life-threatening situations. Knowing our fate is to die, they want to see it look real. We wouldn't be interested in films that we didn't believe in.

A video game is different: you are that person with a gun.
A person who is influenced by a video game is already so damaged that they are dangerous. If you can be influenced by something you know is not real, it means your vision on life is so altered that anything could influence you. People take the responsibilities of a parent and place them on the artist. My son is nine years old and I play my video game with him.


Really?
Yeah. We turn on the music and turn down the volume of the TV because there's a lot of swearing in the game. My son watches R-rated films all the time, with me present so I can explain what he's seeing. Now, if you leave him by himself, he's going to assume the wrong thing. I know he has cable television in his room and he can watch whatever comes on TV. He has a computer in his room, he has Internet access. I came in and he was logged on to an adult site. You've got to understand the kid has access to all these things and his curiosity is there now - keeping him sheltered is putting him in danger.


Now you have all this wealth that you dreamed of, has it made you happy?
Growing up without finances, it seemed like finances were the answer to all your problems - it's not until you acquire them that you realise there are always new obstacles. What really makes me happy is setting new goals and accomplishing them. I don't think ambition is a learned behaviour; I think it's part of someone's character - and I'm ambitious.