50 Cent has made so many shrewd business moves throughout his career, some tend to get overlooked.
Vibe magazine writer Chris Yuscavage put together a list of 50's "10 Smartest Business Decisions"
Let's take a look at how the G-Unit General has gotten filthy rich.
50 Cent Business Decision 1
The Decision: Spending the first $300,000 he made to trademark the "50 Cent" and "G-Unit" names
The Year: 2002
The Bottom Line: Just about every dime 50's made can be traced back to this decision. While most artists spend their advance on new cars, icy chains and the latest threads, Fif used part of his to trademark his name and his future label's name, which eventually helped him make money to buy all the cars, chains and clothes he could have ever imagined. New artists, take note: Before you do anything else, invest in yourself.
50 Cent Business Decision 2
The Decision: Starting G-Unit Records shortly after releasing his debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin'
The Year: 2003
The Bottom Line: Thanks to the immense popularity that he enjoyed at the beginning of his career, 50 didn't have to wait to drop a few albums before Interscope gave him the chance to start his own label. And once they gave him the green light, he used it immediately—releasing a G-Unit album as well as albums from Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo and The Game. That means Fif was filthy rich before his sophomore album, The Massacre, ever even dropped.
50 Cent Business Decision 3
The Decision: Teaming up with Mark Ecko to found the G-Unit Clothing Company
The Year: 2003
The Bottom Line: Once his music took off and his label was established, 50 immediately started using the G-Unit name to build a brand. That's when he flipped a deal to start a clothing company that—unlike other rapper-endorsed clothing companies—was tied to an established name thanks to Mark Ecko's involvement. Had he done the label without Ecko's backing, it probably wouldn't have been anywhere near as successful or profitable as it ended up being.
50 Cent Business Decision 4
The Decision: Signing a five-year deal with Reebok to create and distribute G-Unit Sneakers
The Year: 2003
The Bottom Line: Sure, Jay-Z had a deal with Reebok first. But regardless of how it actually went down, Fif signed a better sneaker deal than most NBA players get off the strength of just one album. Ballin'!
50 Cent Business Decision 5
The Decision: Agreeing to help peddle Vitaminwater for a company called Glaceau in exchange for part-ownership of it.
The Year: 2004
The Bottom Line: You want to talk about forward-thinking? The deal 50 struck with Vitaminwater is, quite possibly, the best deal any rapper has ever struck with a company. Back when he agreed to help push it in '04, no one could have possibly known that he'd one day sell his stake in it for $100 million (after taxes!) when Coa-Cola bought Vitaminwater for $4.1 billion. Except for Fif, of course.These are the deals that business honchos, not rappers, dream about—and 50 made it happen.
50 Cent Business Decision 6
The Decision: Eschewing the opportunity to do the voice of the lead character in the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas video game to instead provide the voice for his own character in the game, 50 Cent: Bulletproof
The Year: 2005
The Bottom Line: 50 could have very easily signed on to voice the GTA character and got a nice little check for his time. But instead of doing that, he turned down the GTA gig and lent his entire name to a project and walked out with way more zeros on the end of his check. Sorry, GTA, but that is what we call highway robbery.
50 Cent Business Decision 7
The Decision: Launching his G-Unit Books imprint at the Time Warner Building in New York City
The Year: 2007
The Bottom Line: After seeing the success that his autobiography, From Pieces To Weight: Once Upon a Time in Southside, Queens, enjoyed, Fif decided he could probably flip books into paper. And that's exactly what he did when he took his G-Unit brand into the publishing world and put out a series of street-lit novels. Could a book about doing good business be too far off in the future?
50 Cent Business Decision 8
The Decision: Partnering with billionaire Patrice Motsepe in South Africa to brand his own line of platinum
The Year: 2008
The Bottom Line: Fif's bought his fair share of platinum chains over the years. But he went from rich to wealthy when he decided to partner up with Motsepe to buy a platinum mine for a different reason: to brand his own line of it. We're not sure how much dough he's actually seen off this decision, but still, it sounds like something you'd want to have on your resume if you're a rapper, right? Bling blaow!
50 Cent Business Decision 9
The Decision: Striking a deal with Right Guard to release his own "Pure 50" body spray
The Year: 2008
The Bottom Line: Don't sleep on body spray. From Axe to TAG, there's a big market for it out there. Especially from tweens and young adults looking to avoid paying top-dollar for actual cologne (but don't worry: Fif's got that, too!). So this is what money smells like, huh?
50 Cent Business Decision 10
The Decision: Establishing his own film company called Cheetah Vision and later landing more than $200 million in funding for it
The Year: 2008
The Bottom Line: 50 invested well at the start of his Hollywood career by starting G-Unit Films and later Cheetah Vision and he's reaped the financial rewards as a result of it. And it's definitely been another great look for him
So there you have it, 10 business moves that prove that when it comes to making business decisions, 50 Cent is a genius.
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