Rapper and media mogul 50 Cent has built an empire from his music, clothing line, online media, alcohol partnerships, and television shows. His rise in success has amassed him a great amount of wealth, and now 50 Cent, real name Curtis Jackson III, says he’s chosen his heir.
In an Aug. 14 interview with US Weekly, 50 Cent shared that he ultimately intends to leave his assets to his 12-year-old son Sire, whom he shares with ex-girlfriend Daphne Joy.
50 Cent, whose wealth is steadily increasing, says that he’s got everything he’s ever wanted and is in no rush to be a billionaire.
“I’ve reached a point where I don’t want anything I don’t have,” he tells Us Weekly. “What’s the rush? I’ve bought every car I wanted multiple times over.”
Instead of labeling himself as a “billionaire” and acquiring all the issues that come with billionaire status, 50 Cent says that he will refer to himself as “very rich.”
When asked if he plans to pass on those riches to his son Sire, the 49-year-old hip-hop icon says, “That’s the idea. What’s left of me will be there for him to run with. At the end of it, that’s what it’s about.”
However, fans couldn’t help but wonder where that leaves 50 Cent’s son Marquise Jackson.
Marquise, 27, is the “In The Club” rapper’s elder son, whom he shares with his ex Shaniqua Tompkins. 50 Cent’s turbulent relationship with Marquise’s mother led to an equally tumultuous and estranged relationship between the father and son.
The pair have been at odds for years, with their feud spilling over onto social media on multiple occasions. In 2018, Marquise posed in an Instagram photo with Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff, an alleged rival of his father’s. Under the image, 50 Cent commented, “If both these little n—s got hit by a bus, I wouldn’t have a bad day.”
Still, 50 Cent’s decision to only mention one of his sons when discussing passing down his wealth drew the ire of some fans.
“He has only one son????” one person commented on Instagram. “No he has two his oldest is Marquise,” another person noted.
Other fans angry on Marquise’s behalf began to chime in.
“For 1 son?!?! wtf about the other son?” an Instagram user questioned. “The fact he said son instead of my sons says a lot about him as a man. SMH,” a disappointed fan wrote.
Some fans defended 50 Cent, blaming Tompkins for the father-son feud.
“Lil man let his mama corrupt his mind now he goes see his step brother benefit [from it] all,” a commenter wrote. “I know Marquise telling his momma he hate her secretly,” another commented.
A second person added, “He right shid I mean the one don’t want no to do with him what he supposed to dawg grown now. sometimes you can’t act bigger than popz than expect sh-t in Return tho.”
Shaniqua Tompkins dated 50 Cent in the mid-’90s. The pair split in 2007 with a contentious child support battle that dragged into the following year. According to Tompkins, 50 Cent promised her a house and half of his earnings for life. 50 Cent called Tompkins entitled, adding that she felt she was owed something for being with him when he had nothing. Tompkins sought $50,000 a month from her ex, rejecting his offer of $40,000. 50 Cent objected, and after multiple appeals, her child support payments were reduced from $25,000 then to $6,700.
The 27-year-old has had a strained relationship with the “Wanksta” rapper over the years, with Marquise sometimes using social media to publicly expresses his frustrations with his father. 50 Cent told MTV that his relationship with Marquise was “changing because he and his mom aren’t friends anymore.”
“The relationship between my wallet and his mom has changed. When people have expensive habits, it’s a hell of a transition for them when that money is not there anymore. She said all kind of things about me I never would expect,” 50 Cent added.
Marquise opened up the state of his relationship with his dad, saying he first remembers things going downhill when he was “probably like 10 or 11.”
“He wasn’t really around enough. It kind of dwindled down as time went on and certain events happened,” Marquise told Rap-Up at the time. “For me, I just started feeling differently about him because growing up, my dad was my superhero. He’s on television, he does this, he does this, he would take me to school. It was like having a father who’s Superman, more or less.”
Nevertheless, during his sit-down with US Weekly, 50 Cent touched on the importance of impacting the lives of others in a positive way because it allows him to build a legacy.
“Financially, when you get to that point… you got to figure out how to put it back. You got to figure out what you’re doing as a philanthropist. This is where you start building legacy. You start doing things that are a little more sophisticate because people remember people who helped.”
The conversation later turned to how 50 Cent is introducing his 12-year-old son about finances.
“When I can get him away from the video game, yeah that’s what I’m talking to him about,” 50 Cent said when asked about the teaching methods. “They grow up different, kids really small kids they have iPads to occupy them.”
50 Cent added that he wanted avoid overwhelming his young son when it comes to money.
“I don’t want to overload him. That is something I deal with personally, because I don’t want to over inform him or give him so much where it feels like you’re putting pressure on him to understand things that he’s not there yet.”
Some fans praised 50 Cent for overcoming the odds and earning hundreds of millions of dollars. “From Bankrupt to Billionaire. Had a crazy comeback,” one fan said on Instagram.
“One of the greatest to ever do it, give fif his flowers,” another person pointed out.
50 Cent released his debut album “Get Rich or Die Tryin'” in 2003, which still holds the distinction of being the highest-selling rap debut in history. His tours have also raked in large revenue. He has been successful in the entertainment world.
His G-Unit Film and Television unit produces several shows, including the “Power” and “BMF” franchises. He is also expected to launch a new FAST channel with Lionsgate. The free ad-supported channel will called 50 Cent Action.
50 Cent celebrated the grand opening of his television studio and production facilities in Shreveport, Louisiana, in April.
“Excited to announce the expansion of G-Unit Film & Television through the launch of my G-Unit Studios right here in Shreveport,” the TV producer captioned an Instagram post on April 18.
