Anytime 50 Cent takes on a movie role, the similarities and comparisons towards his real life are inevitable. His heavily reported rise to fame as a fearless gun bustin’ rookie to overnight businessman easily mirrors any sensational theme Hollywood loves to showcase. His new role as slick-talking fight promoter Jordan Mains in the upcoming boxing thriller Southpaw is no different.
Both Mains and Curtis Jackson share similar experiences using their business acumen in the sporting arena. 50, of course, recently made headlines when his SMS Promotions boxing company SMS filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Hip-Hop Wired recently spent some time with the general of G-Unit at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills and learned how he was able to easily apply his boxing knowledge to the film.
“What was really exciting about this project to me was it was the first time I got to use the information that I received over the years,” he admits. “Having relationships with the top fighters kept me closer to it than usual.”
There’s also the ongoing saga with Floyd Mayweather that gives the character more believability.
“I watched [Southpaw] just like a fan; just like from the television perspective and enjoyed it from there. And then I’m forced to figure out information because I’ve all committed [to the boxing circuit.],” says 50. I put $1.2 million into fighters while Floyd was serving his 30 days [on a plea bargain over domestic violence and harassment charges]. We were doing this [as a partnership] and when he came home, he kind of felt uncomfortable that I was the investor instead of him.”
“I’m looking like, ‘YOU still the man, champ!’ What is we talking about?”
Mayweather actually didn’t get a chance to see Southpaw due to his focus on the Manny Pacquiao fight; an experience 50 recalls where “every Filipino person in the world booed his ass” despite the win.
Elsewhere, the film reunites 50 Cent and Eminem in the public eye since he left Interscope in February of 2014. His former Shady Records boss was actually supposed to star in the lead role but dropped out to focus on the music instead (his label-ran soundtrack drops the same day as the movie). 50 also appears on the compilation and he recalls the first time Em saw Jake Gyllenhaal in action. A time when the legendary rapper wasn’t in the best creative head space.
Photo: WENN
“[Eminem] wanted to see the project really bad and he called me like, ‘Yo! Jake, man…what the fuck?,'” 50 says with a laugh. “What he saw was a character who he had already sorted out in his mind. Because Em is really watching a lot of boxing. We could sit there for hours and listen to him ramble off stats about fighters.”
During the time of Southpaw‘s development, Eminem was spiraling through his addiction phase and 50 recalls seeing his man drown himself.
“Look, you don’t have a problem until the alcohol you’re drinking has a handle. You got a lot of fuckin’ liquor there. You got a problem, there! But when he was coming out [of the phase] he started training for the boxing.”
The type of charisma 50 brought to the interview is exactly what his supporting character delivers in Southpaw (for better or worse).
Go see it in theaters on July 24. Tickets are available here.
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Photo: Instagram/50 Cent
