50 Cent has opened up about the pay disparity he experienced while creating shows for the STARZ network, specifically his record-breaking Power series.
In a new interview with Vulture, the G-Unit mogul talked about how he wasn’t taken very seriously when he first staged staged his move from music to TV, noting that the likes of HBO, Showtime, Paramount and Hulu all passed on his Power series.
“We went to all these organizations in the early stages. They probably had something else they felt was similar, or it wasn’t what they was looking for,” 50 Cent explained. “I’m sure now they wish they didn’t pass on it.”
Eventually STARZ, which at the time was a relatively new network, took a chance on Fif’s crime drama, which proved to be the right decision as it wound up being its biggest show and broke a multitude of records.
However, with the huge highs came a few lows, and 50 said that whenever it was time to renegotiate his deal with the network there would be an issue, which he believes had something to do with the show’s diversity.
“And then every two years, it felt like we was auditioning for a major carrier,” he said. “It’s time to renegotiate, and it would be an issue. So for me at that point, really what it is, is racism. Because the project is a success, but the platforms are not necessarily acknowledging things that have diversity connected to them. I’m outperforming a lot of the shows that they had in the award-show ceremony, and they’re not putting the work in the awards show, even to watch it lose.”
But the issues didn’t stop there. After explaining that he took a huge pay cut when he stepped away from music to build his brand in the world of TV, 50 Cent was asked to elaborate further, which led him to reveal the figure he was reportedly being paid per episode of Power — and it might surprise a lot of people.
“There’s no one that could come and tell me to take $17,000 to act and executive produce and make music,” he said. “I gave them the theme song for Power. I gave them the things that connected, hopefully, in a different way for it. You see what I’m saying? All those things for $17,000 per episode? I get paid more to go to the nightclub and wave.”
Even though in his eyes he was being lowballed, 50 just really wanted to make the show. “I wanted to make it so bad,” he said. “When I was talking to executive producer Mark Canton in the beginning, I was like, ‘Nah, I got to be like this.’”
The Get Rich or Die Tryin’ hitmaker’s comments come after he recently admitted he “hates” that he found huge success with STARZ as his relationship with the premium network has soured.
“I have the number 1,2,3, and 4 top Tv shows in African American, and Latina households and i hate that i did them with the wrong people,” 50 tweeted in April. “I’m not doing any BMF spin offs or selling any other shows to STARZ.”
While Power Book II: Ghost returned to STARZ earlier this year with Season 3’s record-breaking premiere, 50 Cent is now a member of the FOX family.
The G-Unit titan signed with FOX in February for future TV/film endeavors in partnership with his G-Unit Film & Television production company after his deal with STARZ expired in September 2022.
“I am excited to formalize a partnership with Michael Thorn and FOX that will allow G-Unit Film & Television to focus on putting multiple series on FOX, a perfect broadcast destination for G-Unit Film & Television content while our premium, streaming, scripted and non-scripted slates continue to grow in all directions,” 50 said in a statement.
Meanwhile, on the music side of things, 50 Cent is currently gearing up for a massive international tour in celebration of the 20th anniversary of his debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’.
Dubbed the Final Lap Tour, the trek kicks off on July 21 in Salt Lake City, Utah and journeys across North America until September 17, making stops in cities such as Toronto, Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit and 50’s hometown of New York City.
The European leg begins shortly after on September 28, and includes shows in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy and the UK. It then heads to Australia and New Zealand at the end of the year where it will come to a close on December 14 at Spark Arena in Auckland, NZ.
