Queens, New York rapper-turned-mogul 50 Cent is probably better known for producing the juggernaut Power universe for Starz and trolling his fellow celebrities than his music nowadays, but it looks like he wants to reverse that trend this year. While congratulating friend and mentor Eminem on reaching five billion views on YouTube, 50 promised to share new music in 2023. Posting a headline about Eminem’s success on Instagram, 50 captioned the photo, “That’s my boy. Im gonna remind people i’m nice this year. New Music New Tv New movie let’s go!”
Even a couple of decades removed from the peak of his rap chart dominance, 50 has apparently maintained plenty of popularity, despite putting “nothing out in a while,” according to another post he shared. This one, apparently a screenshot from Twitter (so take it with a grain of salt), put 50 on a list of rappers with the most YouTube views for 2022, among names like Eminem, Doja Cat, Drake, Lil Baby, Lil Nas X, and Juice WRLD. The top comment, from Snoop Dogg, reads, “Nice. Staying relevant.”
Truthfully, it’d probably be nicer if he maintained that relevance through new music releases rather than bullying women in the music business. He trolled Lil Kim, Madonna, and Megan Thee Stallion last year about everything from plastic surgery to getting shot in the foot. Let’s hope his new year resolutions included being a nicer person in addition to getting back to rap — but don’t be surprised if he reneges on either after turning down a $1 million record deal from Universal (and failing to follow through on repeated threats to take the Power shows elsewhere).