50 Cent And Apple Near Partnership?
Fans of rapper 50 Cent know they can find him "In Da Club," but soon they might be able to find his computer on "da desk."
50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, is negotiating a branding deal with Apple Computer to create a line of computers more affordable to those in lower income brackets, Forbes reports.
The rapper, whose motto is "Get Rich or Die Tryin'," is no stranger to the benefits of branding deals, which have helped him to accumulate a relentlessly growing empire. Last year alone, Forbes says he netted $41 million through a variety of endeavors.
Aside from being a multi-platinum-selling artist, 50 Cent lords over multimedia enterprises that include a clothing line, video games, ringtones, and a sneaker deal with Reebok. He even has his own Glaceau Vitamin Water, fittingly named "Formula 50."
Although he never graduated from high school, 50 Cent's business brilliance has earned him the No. 8 spot on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list this year. A deal with Apple could help him move up even further next year.
"I'm creating a foundation that will be around for a long time, because fame can come and go or get lost in the lifestyle and the splurging," the rapper says in the Forbes interview. "I never got into it for the music. I got into it for the business."
By Milosh Marinovich