2020-10-01
I am truly blessed. And I remind myself every day that if I'm in a good space now, it's because I been in a bad space for so long before. I don't consider myself a role model, because I think a role model should be speaking and saying something positive all the time. That ain't me. But my story has to be an inspiration to people that's from the bottom, people that's from the same walks of life I'm from. I'm proof that success is possible. They can look at me and say, "I know I could do this, because he did that."

Everything good that could happen to me, happened all at once. Here I am the same dude from Jamaica, Queens, I was a few years back, except now everybody knows me and I have all this cash. I have the means to do just about anything I've ever wanted to do and some things I never thought of. It's pretty fly, but it's dangerous, too. I see why so many cats just lose it and get real caught up, 'cause nothing is off limits to you. Without discipline, that's a pretty dangerous place to be.

That's exactly why I'm trying to give back. Deep down I do know it's not all about 50. That's why I formed the G-Unity Foundation. That's my heart right there. Its whole purpose is to give real financial support to groups who are doing something in the community. Most nonprofits in the 'hood don't usually get the cash they need to make an impact 'cause nobody is checking for them. G-Unity Foundation wants to change that. We want to make sure that we get money to the people who need it the most, the ones who are really doing the work, the ones who are really going to use it to help the community.


I just got in the rap game and I don't want to turn my blessings into something negative that I can't come back from. I believe in a higher power. I believe in right and wrong. I believe in God. I believe everything about the church is cool, but everybody's not there in the right spirit. If I was in the church and said the things that I say on my records, I wouldn't be okay to be there. The odds of Yolanda Adams doing a record with 50 Cent are very slim.

Even if the lyrical content on that record was good, what is going to be said before and after that on my other records? My outlook on the church is that it's a positive thing. I think it's a place where you go to be reminded of your morals and realign yourself with how you're supposed to live. Then you got Monday through Saturday to put it into effect, until you make it to the next Sunday where you can reestablish it in your head again. It's the same thing when you're on the street. A lot of times, you watch the same films over and over again to remind you of your code. You watch Scarface, you watch Casino, you watch gangster films a lot in the 'hood. I think that inspires you to bust a head or to pull your pistol out when the time comes. You condition yourself to that s--t through the visuals and what you listen to and everything else.

I wouldn't have anything to write about if I didn't use my own experiences. You're being unfair if you tell me to come up with rhymes and not use what I came from, to put no part of me or anything that I've been through in the music. If I don't write about what's going on with me or what's taking place in the 'hood, I ain't got nothing to say. The day 50 can't be real, that's the day I say, "Thank you for all your support, it's been a pleasure"-and I leave.

The thing is this: all of the money, all of the success-none of it is going to keep me alive longer than I'm meant to be. But the ICU is finished with 50 Cent. They're through seeing me under any circumstances. The way I see it, even a nigga like me ain't no accident. Like I said before, I believe in God. I didn't survive being shot nine times for nothing. I didn't claw my way out of the 'hood just 'cause it was something to do. I know I've got a purpose-a reason for being on this planet. I don't think I've done everything I'm supposed to do yet. But I do know this: I ain't going nowhere 'til I've done it all.

_Related Features
  • The Search for Hip-Hop's Lost Soul
  • KRS-ONE: Hip-Hop's High Priest
  • More Hip-Hop Coverage
  • more from beliefnet and our partners
    Close Ad