50 Cent Co-Signs 2 Chainz, Talks Tupac and Biggie Holograms
Before dropping “Remain Calm,” the first release from his Gangsta Grillz mixtape The Lost Tape, 50 Cent phoned into DJ Drama’s Shade 45 show on Friday. The rapper-turned-actor, who was in Las Vegas taking a break from shooting his $70 million action-thriller The Tomb with Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, had a lot to get off his chest.
He discussed a potential tour with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, his thoughts on the Tupac Shakur hologram at Coachella, the Forbes Five list of hip-hop’s top moneymakers, and a Notorious B.I.G. hologram (“I think Puff already called the people”). Plus, find out why 2 Chainz and Future get his stamp of approval.
On who he sees potential in: “Definitely 2 Chainz ’cause he’s been around. He’s one of them guys that’s finally having a moment. I remember when he was in Playaz Circle. I know it’s been years and years of work. And the kid Future. He’s got some hits under his belt that ain’t under his name, like that ‘Racks’ joint. I watch. It may seem like I’m doing business in different areas and doing different things, but my passion for music hasn’t changed.”
On a potential tour with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg: “I would go in a heartbeat, just ’cause I don’t think that there’s another moment like that. Coachella felt special ’cause [Dre] hasn’t put out an album in 12 years. This [was] the first time you actually seen him speak, like on stage talkin’ and I think that he fell in love again.”
On whether he and Dr. Dre had a fallout after Dre was photographed with his rival Rick Ross: “Nah, you know what I know about Dre, he has a thing where creatively he’s sayin’ if there’s a hit, wherever it is, I’m gonna go get it. I don’t care. These are people that I have strong relationships with, that have done things for me that I appreciate. The difference between me and a lot of the characters that you see me have conflict with is you don’t bite the hand that feeds you. I’ve been raised that way, so I don’t go against that.”
On record sales: “I can be concerned about being relevant to the culture and recapturing the energy you had once upon a time, not an actual number. It’s not even about the actual number on sales.”
On the Tupac hologram at Coachella: “That was dope. When we went to the rehearsal, I talked to Snoop about it and I said, ‘Damn, man. That’s the moment right there. I don’t care what nobody else do.’ It was interesting because Dre gave it to Snoop. It was a real cool, cool thing ’cause I don’t think Dre and Pac ever performed ‘California Love.'”
On whether he would perform “The Realest Killaz” with the Tupac hologram: “I’d love to do that. I couldn’t see how a person would be uncomfortable with it. I would want to keep him alive. It makes him an icon—he’s iconic anyway, but it makes him almost a martyr.”
On a Biggie hologram: “I think Puff already called the people. I think he already been on the phone like, ‘What? I know my next tour is me and B.I.G. We goin’, baby.’ They probably started 3-D rendering already. Puff, they can say whatever they want about him, he ain’t gonna miss a moment.”
On the Forbes Five list: “The Forbes list is fine, but I’m still on the wrong list. I need to be on the [Fortune] 500, the company list without it actually being hip-hop. In order to do that, we gotta do business on a whole other level.”