What Can Rappers Learn From 50 Cent?
For anyone wanting to pursue a music career and find unprecedented success, 50 Cent’s journey is one that can inspire people to think outside the box. The legendary Hip Hop star partly became a global sensation because he turned himself into a franchise. The 50 Cent image went way beyond his music, and he appeared in films, games, and other media.
The model may need to be adapted slightly for the modern age, but there is still a lot to learn from 50 Cent’s incredible rise to the top of the music industry.
How Did 50 Cent Become One of the World’s Most Successful Artists?
Before detailing all the various ways that 50 Cent managed to boost his profile, it must be mentioned that the 47-year-old is also incredibly talented musically. He first honed his songwriting and rapping skills and developed his own unique and gritty style. He was then able to build on this later after he’d managed to attract an early following through his tracks. He did this by making mixtapes and then dishing them out to people in the streets.
After gaining fame from Get Rich or Die Tryin’ in 2003, 50 Cent used this as a springboard to expand his financial interests. The album sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and gave the artist the capital he needed to start investing in other projects. There’s no denying that 50 Cent has always had an entrepreneurial brain. He initially founded his own label, G-Unit Records, and signed the likes of Lloyd Banks and Young Buck. This then snowballed into a clothing line, a shoe brand, and a partnership with VitaminWater. Later, 50 Cent even ventured into video game representation.
What do Rappers Need to Do Differently?
It’s amazing to think that 50 Cent managed to achieve all these things in the era that preceded social media and online gaming. Perhaps if the Candy Shop rapper had had all of today’s modern tools, he would have become an even greater sensation.
Today’s gaming industry is one that all rappers should be seeking to take advantage of. 50 Cent appeared in console games in the mid-2000s, but if he were to do it again in the 2020s, he’d probably commission content for the mobile and online casino industry. There are various mobile games designed to appeal to Hip Hop fans, such as Hip Hop All-Star.
There are also casino games like Action Bank, which are all about trying to take as much from the vault as you can. The game is designed to look like a bank safe, and players have to spin the reels to crack it. You could imagine a 50 Cent game following a similar premise, as the star has always been about acquiring as much paper as possible.
It’s almost a certainty that 50 Cent would have leveraged social media to boost his profile if it had been around when he was a rising star. TikTok and YouTube are valuable tools for aspiring artists nowadays, and these platforms can be great places to develop an initial following.
50 Cent is still one of the greatest success stories in the history of Hip Hop, and new artists should seek to follow in his footsteps. Some aspects of his model need to be adapted for the modern age, though, where social media and online gaming are excellent ways to boost a franchise.
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About the Author
Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.
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