50 Cent sat down for an exclusive interview with the Hot Morning Crew! The entrepreneurial rapper talked all about why he chose to bring big time boxing to Hartford, his unique connection to CT's capital city, and more!
50 Cent's SMS Promotions will present "50 Cent's Birthday Bash," this Friday at the Connecticut Convention Center-- after an impressive lineup hits the ring for "ESPN Friday Night Fights," 50 will celebrate his birthday with an exclusive after party!
Now that you are a boxing promoter, how do two men, who don't have beef with each other, get into the ring and fight?
Well, it's easy because the other man is trying to take away everything that makes you comfortable. [Laughs] That's what I told Floyd (Mayweather, Jr.) when he was walking to the ring for the (Victor) Ortiz] fight. I said, "Don't be nice to him... He's trying to make sure you can't feed your kids!"
So many guys in business now have their own enterprises, Jay-Z has sports agency, Usher is a part owner, Nelly is a part owner... Are you guys trend setting for everyone else?
I just think the decision to go into sports management was there for a long time. In Jay's case, he was actually working on it behind the scenes quietly. I think he will be successful... He has been successful everywhere else.
Will you diversify and eventually go outside of sports boxing? Will you get a sports agency license like Jay-Z did and maybe go in to baseball, basketball or football?
No. I really don't have interest in all of those sports.
Why specifically did you choose Hartford as the site for your big event?
Hartford has a boxing history. I haven't seen any real big events come in to Hartford because they all going to Foxwoods and places around it.
For me particularly, Hartford is an area I came to right after New York City. I was first coming here thinking I had to impress these people with my performance for them to actually begin to like me. But when I got here, they already knew everything that I was singing. [That] made me really like being out here. That's what made my connection to Hartford.
That's why you got your house out here?
I came out here to do a big show, and then I said I wanted to live out here. When I realized an actual place was available, I just bought it.
When you came out here for the first time there was such a buzz. Your mixtapes were crazy here!
Certain areas are real in tune with everything that is going on!
What can people expect to see at this fight on Friday? Will you be there?
I will be there! I tried to keep it at a point where people wouldn't overspend. I have been places in the early period of my life where I went and really enjoyed myself, but because I "over enjoyed" myself, I got back and it wasn't fun. I wanted to make sure that if you paid for a ticket that was 100 dollars, or 150 dollars, it would automatically get you into the after party.
What do you want people to take away from the event?
I want people to enjoy the excitement. We are bringing it to Hartford because this is a special place for me.
