Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson found his next big hit following new reports about a drug bust at an Ivy League college.
Fourteen people are facing charges over an alleged cocaine ring run out of two Penn State fraternity houses. Prosecutors say pledges were made to cut and package the product as a form of initiation.
Despite spending years in a television fight with creator Courtney Kemp over who actually built it, 50 sees a new opportunity.
The rapper and producer spoke on the Penn State allegations with an AI-generated video of a college kid, supposedly the accused ringleader Agostino Abbatiello.
Abbatiello, who is viewed as the ringleader, currently faces 11 felony counts, according to prosecutors.
The video 50 shared shows an AI-Abbatiello in a black shirt, sitting in front of stacks of cash with shrink-wrapped bags behind him.
“Everybody wants to be Scarface but nobody wants that 8 a.m. accounting class,” the character says, before holding up a calculator. “Say hello to my little friend!”
“New show alert we going to penn state, Pablo pledgecobar frat bro’s let go!” 50 wrote in his caption.”
Now, this is coming from the man who turned “Power” into a hit.
The real case is considerably less funny, though.
On Monday, Aug. 17, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced charges against 14 people in connection with an alleged cocaine operation run out of two off-campus fraternity houses.
Thirteen of the defendants were Penn State students at or around the time of the alleged conduct in 2023 and 2024. At least four are still enrolled. The 14th is the father of one of the students, accused of hiding a safe holding drugs and cash.
Investigators named Abbatiello and Thomas Robinson as the main suppliers, alleging the two made regular runs to Philadelphia and New York for large quantities of cocaine.
The product was then cut and packaged, mostly inside the Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi houses, and sold primarily to other Penn State students.
The detail that pushed the story national involved the pledges.
According to CNN, cutting and packaging cocaine functioned as an initiation ritual for some of them.
Abbatiello skipped his Monday arraignment, surrendered Tuesday morning and was later denied bail.
But 50’s followers didn’t need convincing. They just needed a premiere date.
“Pablo Pledgescobar,” wrote one user, repeating the caption. Another offered a title: “Not The Wolf of Wall Dorm.” A third christened the lead character “Tony Accountana.” One follower described the clip as reminding them of McLovin from “Superbad,” if he were a drug dealer.
Other replies tied it straight back to 50’s own catalog. “I can’t wait for the show,” one wrote, suggesting he simply have Tariq transfer from Stansfield to Penn State.
This was a clear nod to “Power Book II: Ghost,” where Michael Rainey Jr.’s character runs a campus drug operation while enrolled at an elite university.
Another commenter made the same point about the defendants, joking that they were “clearly watching Power Ghost.”
“Power” ran six seasons beginning in 2014, and the “Many Men” hitmaker spearheaded the four spinoffs that followed. He played Kanan, executive produced and supplied the theme song.
50 Cent With Michael Rainey Jr Backstage #50Cent #MichaelRaineyJr pic.twitter.com/UL66YabFYn
— Real1Of1TV (@Real1of1TV) June 25, 2024
Meanwhile, he recently signed a licensing deal bringing the original “Power” to Netflix internationally, per Deadline. He also announced a British boxing drama at Starz, and holds a multi-project deal with Fox Entertainment.
That appetite for live controversy has drawn some caution from peers too. Marlon Wayans warned him publicly after his Diddy documentary that building content around unfolding scandals carries real risk.
But the bigger question is is the show real. Not yet, and probably not soon. Adapting an active criminal case with 14 defendants awaiting preliminary hearings would be a legal issue, not necessarily a green light.
Still, within a day, thousands of people looked at a sprawling drug case and immediately pictured a Starz logo with 50’s backing.
