By Balford Henry—
AMERICAN rapper and actor 50 Cent was in Jamaica on a “working visit” last weekend.
According to sources close to the rapper, 50 Cent (whose given name is Curtis Jackson III) was exploring investment opportunities in the island. They, however, declined to give any details.
“He did meet with some local officials and had discussions on investment opportunities in the Montego Bay resort area,” said the source, who spoke to the Jamaica Observer on the condition of anonymity.
50 Cent is said to have close Jamaican family connections, through his stepfather with whom he grew up in Queens, New York.
The rapper has a big following in Jamaica. He performed at Heineken Heatwave Concert at Constant Spring Golf Club in St Andrew, in 2003.
In 2003, the 39-year-old got his break when he released Get Rich or Die Tryin’ in a joint venture with Shady Records (Eminem), Aftermath Entertainment (Dr Dre) and Interscope Records. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 872,000 copies in its first four days. Billboard named it the 12th Best Album of the Decade.
He appeared in the semi-auto-biographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2005), as well as Iraq war film Home of the Brave (2006) and Righteous Kill (2008).
He has also been involved in several private commercial investments, in areas such as enhanced water drinks (Formula 50), platinum mining in South Africa, American stock and real estate markets and boxing promotion.
He was rated the fifth richest figure in American hip hop in 2014, with an estimated net value of US$140 million.
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