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50 Cent is getting candid about the struggles he's faced transitioning from music to TV, including how much he got paid for his Power series.
In a recent interview with Vulture, 50 Cent revealed that HBO, Showtime, Paramount, and Hulu all initially declined to pick up Power.
“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,” he told Vulture. “I’m sure now they wish they didn’t pass on it.”
STARZ eventually picked up the huge series, but when it was time to renegotiate his deal with the network, there was always an issue, 50 Cent said.
“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.”
The mogul also revealed that he took a huge pay cut while serving as an executive producer, making music, and acting for the show.
“There’s no one that could come and tell me to take $17,000 to act and executive produce and make music,” 50 Cent 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.”
50 Cent said he agreed to receive $17,000 per episode because of how badly he 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.'”
50's comments come after he said in April that he "hates" that his show was hugely successful on STARZ.
“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 a the time. “I’m not doing any BMF spin-offs or selling any other shows to STARZ.”
The Grammy award winner signed with Fox in February for his future TV and film projects after his deal with STARZ expired in September.
“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.
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