We got the straight up scoop on what went down with 50's G-Unit Clothing and his partnership with Mark Ecko enterprises. As all of the hip-hop sites have been reporting, G-Unit Clothing and Mark Ecko dissolved their 50/50 joint partnership which led to the shutting down of G-Unit Clothing and layoffs of their staff last Friday. My sources straight from the MAGIC Convention in Vegas this week tells me the following....
It was assumed the partnership was called off because G-Unit Clothing is not profitable, but turns out that is not the full story. What we have seen lately with the majority of 50's businesses is a shift from corporate control to owner-control. 50 and Interscope launched G-Unit Films a couple of years back but terms left 50 splitting revenues with Interscope and without much ownership power. So what does 50 do? He launches his own film company this year that will allow him greater owner-control and a larger share of profits.
On the internet side, Interscope and other various sites were capitalizing on the growing hip-hop web scene and while a cut was provided to 50, the content and direction was not under his control nor were ad revenues. So what does he do? He launches thisis50.com, his own dedicated website that has become so profitable that he has moved people over from his label to work on the site instead.
The word with G-Unit Clothing is that while the partnership is over, it was actually time for 50 to part ways. The truth is with 50's current branding power and knowledge gained of the fashion and garment industry, he doesn't really need Ecko anymore. Just like with his film company and website, 50 plans to shift his fashion line from corporate control to owner control. As his Violator Management has said “They aren’t shutting down. They may be leaving their partner, but the G-Unit brand is a base business of $75 million annually." 50 will relaunch a new fashion line that will allow him greater creative control and financial backing for him to take a larger share of profits.
Everyone in the industry expects, and should expect a revamped clothing brand from 50 in the near future. Early plans for the clothing line include a fully integrated launch with thisis50.com and even having some of his new clothing in future movies that he produces. Pretty smart if you ask me. 50's recent moves have shown he is willing to make smart financial risks all while building his own empire that is directly controlled by himself. Bottom line, no more splitting profits with his corporate partners...this is 50...he's taking it all.
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COMMENTS
50 is a smart business man he know what he doing. shit i look up to nigga's like him business wise. real smart fuck all that partner shit. that what i would want to own my own shit because it's confusing what the other man would do it's safe to be by yourself... the first nigga that didn't say first. who ever do that shit is gay...
ya 50s a hell of a business man...o and by the way it takes away from the fact that you didnt say first if u point out that you didnt say first
Fif just provides his fans what they want, true hip-hop icon
you want to talk about the buisness game
ill sum it up in a few words
jay-z > 50 Cent
you want to talk about the buisness game
ill sum it up in a few words
jay-z > 50 Cent
true dat Vansslipons, but da nigga Jay is ruthless and fuckin brutal. He don't care bout no one except himself so thats why hes better and always comes up in the end. Da nigga worth 600mil, shit, he might already be on da billy.
^cosign...but nobodys wears G Unit no more
damn all a dat sayin da same shit.... dey could have sum dat shit up in 1 paragraph
just like all of your comments lol
ay he knows what he's doin he's smart but he needs to come out with some hot shit either on shoot to kill or his next solo album, and im talkin old Get Rich or Die shit, if he expects his clothing to keep sellin.
Nah he needs to be on some Power of the Dollar mixed with Get Rich shit.
Hes at that point where he stops listening to his business managers and wants to go in his own directions.
After Jay-Z did his thing, a lot of dudes are tryin to follow his example. Hope it works out for fif.
just cutting out the middle man... good look 50
Yeah, that would be smart(sarcasm).
Good post here. This is right on point and shows that 50 really does know what he doin on the biznass side. If only he could make soem better muzik now.
shit business making him the most money. ^^^^Kevinxkush^^^^
i agree. 50 has said many times he is not as into the music as he once was. Its his brand and his image that is selling stuff not his music...so why not focus on the business if thats whats getting you the $$$? Same reason every rapper doing outside stuff...music dont pay what it used to
It's a gamble really
Hangin out with Puffy and Jay is paying off for 50. He's the newest BILLIONAIRE club member. People shit on 50 all day. Could your favorite rapper take 25 cent water and sell it for 2 bucks?? Mine did. Does your favorite rapper OWN a majority stake in the NEW Jersey Nets. Mine Does. HA ha ha, laughing all the way to the bank with this!!! It's about being a mogul nowadays. The rapper dosent get paid from rap albums. The new rapper has learned that itunes and digital downloading has essentially killed the music industry and now must make money buy OWNING thier own business. That money goes into the rappers studio time. Why do you think everyones talking bout retiring from the game??
Co-sign.
Except the stan parts.
none of the 3 are billionaires.
Yea 50 is nowhere near billy status and the bulk of his money comes from the Vitamin Water shit, so its not like he hustled for every single cent.
And If the studio flops, do you really think 50 will go broke. I mean it's hard to go through 400 Million dollars. He wont put all his eggs in one basket, whether you love him or hate him, he aint gonna flop.
50 is a huge business threat. I like how he makes his moves across the board. I disagree with alot of his R&B tunes but I have to admit hes a way smarter nigga than I used to give him credit for. I used to think that the vitamin water come up was just him getting lucky but I can see that the man makes educated moves with his money. He got Jay-z and Puffy money because hes a very shrewd businessman and not for any other reason. Props to 50. But I dont think its too much for another GRODT. That album was fire, if he did it once he should go back to that formula and do it again. He wont but he should.
what is with everyone sayin go back to get rich days..you didn't like curtis??i love his album curtis,, i personaly feel that it is fire!! accept for a couple of songs the album sizzles!!unfortunately for 50 he raised the bar so hi on his 1st cd that he will never get the props he deserves in the future..me personaly i love all his music he can put out what ever he wants... listen to body snatchers that mix tape is hot even without buck!!!
Just a difference of opinion G. I thought curtis was warm trash. I dont mean for him to attempt to recapture the get rich feel of his music because feelings cant be repeated. (with the exception of stillmatic) What I meant is for him to put that singing shit in the closet and come hard with 20 songs of the rawest material he can muster.
curtis was 50's wackest work to date..it was terrible, he named the album after himself then gave no persoanl insight anywhere on the album into his own life...return of the body snatchers is so dope because he went back to that original formula...the shit he used to do even before get rich or die tryin
5-0 maybe a good businessman, but he's by far the worst rapper I've ever listen, when the music industry focus hip-hop on music and lyrics again than sales.
It just breaks my heart
this clown's on the same boat as MC Hammer was, except far more damage, because he brought a lot of more damage to the game, hopefully somebody can clean up the mess that this clown and 98% percent of the trash have left.
It took 1991-98 for a lot of rappers to clean up the mess that MC Hammer/Vanilla Ice have created for hip-hop.
interscope wasnt promoting curtis like he wanted... so what does he do
release i get money and ayo tech
man he sayin fuck this shit... if it aint my way... ima make sure it is
thisis50 is growing
50 at the end of the day might be BIGGER then Hov at age 38. Fif gettin' it...not talkin bout it, he livin it
No question. 50's business moves are ten times more savvy than Hova's. Hova lucked up and benefitted of a brand that Dame Dash built with Roca Wear. Jigga also was like the novice in the group between Biggs and Dame. Now he getting deals strictly because of his name recognition, not because of his business accumen. Plus Jay isn't the most ethical nigga, and that's going to come back and bite him one day. 50 is the real deal and will pass up Hov on the Forbes list.
It's interesting what you say about rappers all wanting to retire from the game because they can make more money outside; this certainly seems to be true, but what is also true is that the rapper-brand image is built upon the music; so that can't be removed entirely.
I'm going to speculate:
Are we moving into a position where cultural creations, such as songs and films, will be simply a means to create an brand-image which then generates money through promotion of physical creations, that is, clothing, food, drinks, vehicles?
Payment for music is already essentially voluntary for a large percentage of the populations of Developed nations; TV and film is heading the same way, literature will probably follow soon enough. When culture cannot be sold the artist must instead lend their image to companies in order to generate revenue.
Two consequences immediately arise: one, commercial music will survive as a means by which celebrity-brands can be created; two, the attempt to create celebrity-brands that are both widely popular and also morally and politically sensitive to the requirements of potential clients (companies wanting to sell things) will require that commercially successful artists moderate their art and 'tone it down' so that it offends as few people as possible.
In this situation there might be 2 types of artists; firstly, those who are enslaved to commercial interests, creating their brand-image to be compatible with the corporations and advertising agencies (at least, until they are financially secure); and two, guerilla artists who care nothing for financial gain but instead 'keep it real', say the truth as they see it, and conflict with the commercial interests of the corporations.
Which side will you be on?
impressive analysis... 50 just keeps gettin money
Very intelligent overview of the situation. I realize that popular music has become a means to an end for the urban artist (particularly hip hop), and that music in general has been compromised for commercial/branding purposes. Today there are a few tired urban artists that are kept in the forefront despite their shrinking fan bases, you what the real rationale for that is. I mean, how many fucking times have I got to see Beyonce's, Alicia Keys, Diddy, etc...on the tv screen??? You can't tell there isn't some hungry kid in Brooklyn or the 5th ward that nicer than all the shit we've got to listen to today. Although seeing Mary J. Blige coon her way through that Ford commercial turns my stomach, I must realize that the music today is not for me. So as an over 30 yr old consumer, I am forced to resort to diggin thru the crates for some old Tupac, Digable Planets, Tribe Called Quest, Naughty by Nature, Death Row, Black Moon to find some artistic truth. So I guess I'm on the side of keep the artform true, but I also know the realities of the ghetto environment and I can't blame cats for trying to get the hell out.....wish there was more of a balance though...
has everyone forgotten TOURING???? These motherfuckers make so much money on touring. If dudes are lazy or can't get their fans out to the shows, then they need to work harder and make better music. Stop bein so anti-materialistic, if that money wasn't at the end of the tunnel they wouldnt be rappin in the first place
co-sign...well said, very good analysis
Keep it up fif
THIS IS 50 .com da hottest shhh on the streets right now...go cop dat return of the bodysnatchers NOW niggas
anotha article on this bullshit
50 IS THE SMARTEST GUY ON THE PLANET! THIS NIGGA IS GONNA END UP BUYIN A STATE OR SOMETHING CRAZY LIKE THAT! I, I GET IT! GGGGGGG-UNIT!
Smartest guy doesn't always last in business. Let's not forget that these "good ol' boys" got a 400 yr headstart on us. U gotta know that a black man with money in America is just one allegation away from being broke.....these boys got tricks you wouldn't believe.
^^^^^^^^^^^ you make N.C. niggas look stupid cuz ^^^^^^^^^
im bout my money man. leave the money in the car til i say so. please tell me the old grimmey fif is back
a black man with money in America is just one allegation away from being broke.....these boys got tricks you wouldn't believe.
WOW
50 will never be broke...He's using music as a gateway n not just as a means to get by...Thats the problem with all these rappers thinkin they can just get by with there music. More than likely that money just dont last. Shout out to the unit.
fuk da middle man, more money for fif das what im talkin bout
itz good 2 upgrade n "get mo money mo money" but I feel as a rapper he still owes it 2 his fans 2 give them dat raw real hiphop that built da brand name, bcuz the massacre n dat curtis shit wasn't it! Da hood iz waitin scrap dnt let em down
as much as u niggas hate 50 yall need 2 look up 2 him man he's the ultimate success story man this man makes serious power moves and i admire his business intellect he's a beast in wall street str8 up!
get the loot
I never liked Mark Ecko's swagger jacking ass anyway....get em 50
Who buys his clothes anyways? And he's not a smart business man.... his laywers are!! But get ready for a diss track in the coming weeks!!
50 is the man... monopolizing this sh!t and taking all the money!
myspace.com/makellbird
50 for president!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)
Financial risks aren't "smart financial risks" until they begin to pay off. Until we start hearing or until 50 start seeing 100% ad revenues from thisis 50.com, and a bigger cut of the profits from G-Unit Clothing, we can't call them "smart financial risks". At this point, they are simply financial risks. The smart is in the payoff.
One day they that nigga 50 is going to pull a Britney Spears on us!!
Look at wat happened to M.C. Hammer. LOL He had it all commerical, shoe deal, cartoon, and other shit!! Money is not everything!
LOL--50 seems to be too well grounded to pull a Britney or an MC Hammer...that nigga has seen rock bottom and doesn't look like he wants to go back....unlike a lot of other entertainers....I'll give him that.
@ F-50
I was bored and to this day i still laugh at those 2 Hammer commericals from the Super Bowl a few years back!!
mark eckos been gay ever since he put an asterik on that baseball. fuck him.
Co-Sign, i never wore bama ass ecko anyway. AND DEFINETLY NOT NO G_UNIT.
@BobbyDigital05
I thought no one even noticed what Marc Ecko's faggot ass did. . .he got rich off the black culture and turned around and used it against us. But that's the American way. . .
50 has no respect for the fans, just egotistical greed. That's why another clothing line promoted by him will flop. . .HARD. Dude is the '08 version of MC Hammer now.
Except 5-0's even worse than MC Hammer, in fact he makes Hammer look like a masterpiece.
Fif should shut the fuck up and sip his vitamin water, while he still has the little respect from his faithful dick riders. Dude sucks as an artist, and got lucky as a businessman, straight up.
i have a feeling 50 will be ok hahaha
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50 is on the way to be the richest rapper in the game
now i understand what that straight to the bank and i get money shit was all about, hes about the big money
Fif isnt gonna be able to be the richest rapper in the game. Dont get me wrong, Im not trying to insult his business sence. Im saying that hes made too many mistakes to become the richest anytime soon. By alienating and having "beefs" with other artists for publicity, hes alienating their fans, and losing a portion of his market. On the other end of things the business plan that Hov has has worked for him and taken him to the top. Hes quit declaring war, why? Not because hes scared, but because its not profitable to have beef when youre at the top of the food chain. All it does is lose potential fans that are die hard for someone else.
dem niggaz'z bull shit
fif gets cash
lmfaooo at how all of you look up to 50 as a business man hahahah lmfaooooo. hahahahaaaaaaaaa. if yall would pick up a business journal one day, just once youd see real business men who make big moves without having to be famous, and make money that makes 50s money seem like chump change. smh no wonder most hood niggas stay in the hood.open your eyes my brothers, view the world from a bigger lens
this blog is pathetic.... you just sat there and wrote half your day away on a man who doesnt know your in existance...i sat here an actually read that to see how sad you were riding a man nutz ...we dont care about if he is independent ..did he pay u to write this stuff??... I RATHER HEAR A MURDER INC/G-UNIT PEACE TREATY!!
and you sat there and read and commented on a blog by a person who doesnt even know 'you' exist. lol see the irony
shit what he eat dont make me shit so ....at least i know i got more money then him
50 my man beatin down the corporate middle man and gettin all his paper back. Business man till the end
YOU GOT YOUR SOURCE YOU SAY, BUT HOW HARD WAS IT TO FIND THAT OUT???
MANN CHECK IT OUT, IT AINT ABOUT THE MUSIC NO MO, DONT YOU GET IT?
HAHA , SURE YOU DONT
1
As much as I hate G-unot and 50 cent's rapping, hes a wise businessman and i gotta give him propz 4 that
50 aint goin 50/50 on his business hahahah