On July 21, 50 Cent kicked off his Final Lap world tour with a show in Salt Lake City. He will perform across the United States and Canada through September. From there, he’ll spend the next few months performing in Europe, India and Australia, before finishing off the tour with a final show on December 14 in Auckland, New Zealand. He will be joined by Busta Rhymes and Jeremih (only for the North American dates).
This tour isn’t to promote a new album. It’s a celebration of the 20th anniversary of his debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’. 50 Cent has announced that it will be his final tour, but considering that he sold 500,000 tickets in the first week after they were released, we think he might be tempted to keep performing.
After the initial ticket sales proved so promising, 50 Cent took to Instagram Live to thank his fans and to suggest that the tour might be expanding. He mentioned in particular that he would love to add some dates in Africa to the tour.
In this article, we’re going to take a look back at 50 Cent’s career and life as we all look forward to the Final Lap world tour.
Music
50 Cent, born Curtis James Jackson III, nearly didn’t have a music career. His first album, Power of the Dollar, was never released because the label wasn’t comfortable releasing it after 50 Cent was shot nine times just days before its original release date. In 2002, his mixtape was picked up by Eminem and his career took off.
Get Rich, or Die Tryin’ was released in 2003 and was an immediate hit. It topped the Billboard charts and was named the #1 album on their end of the year lists. The album featured appearances by Eminem, Young Buck, Nate Dogg, Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo. Dr. Dre and Eminem both played significant roles in producing the album.
The singles from Get Rich or Die Tryin’ are In da Club, 21 Questions, P.I.M.P. and If I can’t. In da Club was one of the biggest tracks of the decade and remains a classic of the genre. It launched 50 Cent to stardom and ensured that he would have a place in rap history. His other albums include The Massacre (2005), Curtis (2007) and Animal Ambition (2014).
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Alongside his solo work, 50 Cent was also a core member of the group G-Unit. With G-Unit, he released Beg for Mercy (2003) and T.O.S. (Terminate on Sight) (2008).
50 Cent and gambling
Celebrities and gambling go hand in hand. It’s easy to see why the gambling world has so much allure – the risks, the drama, the glamour and the potential to win big are hard to resist. 50 Cent has a complicated relationship with gambling. He is best known for his sports betting, especially on fights.
His most notable bets were on Floyd Mayweather Jr. He once bet $1.6 million on Mayweather in his title fight against Manny Pacquiao. This staggering amount – and faith in his friend’s talents – ended up in a huge win. In 2012, at the height of their feud, 50 Cent publicly bet Mayweather to prove he could read by reading a page from Harry Potter aloud. While the two friends were feuding in the early 2010s, it looks like they’ve mended their relationship and are now close again.
50 Cent has also been seen playing games at the casino tables. Poker and blackjack may be his top choices, just like with most card players. You can’t always land perfect 21 when you play blackjack, but the more you play, the better you can get at knowing when to fold and when to take the big risks. If the Final Lap world tour goes well, maybe we’ll get to see 50 Cent put his cards on the table and finally release another album.
Businesses
Rappers have been known for also being great entrepreneurs. Dr. Dre is the genius behind Beats headphones, Jay-Z founded Rocawear, and P. Diddy is one of the originals, with his Sean John clothing line.
50 Cent has also been involved in a number of brands. He founded G-Unit Records the same year his debut album was released, using his massive success as a way to lift up the next generation of artists. He also founded the production company Cheetah Vision. Other brands that he is associated with are Spire Spirits, FRIGO RevolutionWear and VitaminWater.
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