50 Cent

50 talks marriage, kids and avoiding demanding women!

The man is a bonafide superstar and yet, he remains humble in our interview. Currently starring in the British action movie, Dead Man Running (executively produced by football stars Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole), 50 Cent was cheerful and pleasant when he touched down in the UK.

Far from being the “I can’t comment on that” type of artist, Fiddy was honest and pleasantly open, speaking on everything from his alleged romance with Ciara, to his turbulent relationship with Shaniqua Tompkins, his ex-girlfriend and mother of his 13-year-old son.

Rapper, actor, author, businessman, father – 50 juggles it all. But thankfully, the hip-hop star, born Curtis Jackson, was still able to make time for a chat with FillingTheVoid.

50, how are you enjoying your UK stay?
Oh, I really love it out here. Anyone who thinks the UK is all about tea and biscuits is wrong! When I touched down, I went to the hotel gym and I feel great.

You went straight to they gym? You’re a fitness fanatic aren’t you?
Laughs: Yeah, I’m conscious of my health.

Do you genuinely enjoy all the business ventures you juggle or is money the sole motivation?
I enjoy what I do. I feel like the moment I’m not busy will be a clear indication that I’m ceasing. I hold on to that any time I sign an autograph or take a picture when I’m not really in the mood. Whenever I feel frustrated about signing an autograph, I think to myself, ‘It’ll be even more frustrating when I’m walking through places and nobody wants to take my picture!’

So what do you do in your spare time?
I’ll probably hang out at my grandparents’ house. My grandmother’s interesting – nothing changes with her. I’ll buy her all sorts and she’ll still tell me to take out the garbage! But they’re great. They’ve been married for like 56 years.

Wow. Can you see yourself getting married and being with someone for that long?
I don’t know. I have trust issues so I’d have to be friends with someone for long enough to identify with their habits and their defects... I know maybe I was supposed to say, ‘yeah, once I’m absolutely in love!’ But I’m like, ‘Nah, let me just look at if we can really work together.’

So is there any likelihood of Ciara becoming Mrs Jackson any time soon?
Man, that’s like the longest going rumour. It’s not a bad one though – the woman isn’t unattractive!

In addition to knowing that you can work with a woman, I trust you’ll also marry for love – if you ever get married?
Absolutely. I feel like I would love a person that I actually know. I feel like when you meet new people, they put their best foot forward, so you don’t always get a true representation of who they are. You don’t get to see their real character traits until later on down the line.

A bit like the situation with your son’s mother?
Yeah, that was a difficult thing for me; the transition of not being friends with my son’s mum. I feel like she developed a sense of entitlement that couldn’t be met. I was paying more child support than the court would make me pay, but she was confused. So I was like, ‘Ok, let me take her to court.’ It put her in a space where that expensive bag and shoe habit had to change.

Do you think the two of you will ever be friends again?
I’m not sure about that. I’ve known her for like 15 years and my son is 13. I feel like I don’t know her any more. When a person’s sense of entitlement isn’t met, it turns into anger. And that anger gets deeper every day because they have to deal with that, as well as the pressures of life that they’d have to deal with anyway. So they look for someone to blame their problems on. Me and you will get up and go to work and do what we have to do. She won’t do that and yet will somehow figure out that it’s my fault!

So her expectations of you are simply not justified?
No. Our situation isn’t like Little House on the Prairie. If you’ve got 10 kids, I understand why you stay at home to take care of them – that’s a bigger job than going out to work. But you’ve got one child and the kid’s 13? He ain’t somebody you have to watch constantly. You tell him not to touch the stove, he won’t touch the stove, you know what I mean? You don’t need a nanny for that!

Do you think you’ll have more kids in the future?
Yeah. I don’t have any problems with children...it’s the mamas!

Is your son anything like you?
Oh yeah, absolutely. He’s a total mama’s boy too. He looks at me like, ‘Yo, don’t talk about my mother!’

Do you have a good relationship with him?
Yeah, it’s pretty good. I don’t think it could be any better, aside from me not moving around so much. That’s what slowed Eminem’s career down; he was like, ‘I didn’t wanna wake up one morning and find that she’s [Eminem’s daughter] a grown woman. She barely listens to me now!’

Do you think Eminem is misunderstood?
Em’s the biggest rap artist in the world, but he just doesn’t travel to enable people to feel like they identify with him or know him. That’s why I travel; to let people see one portion of our crew. I mean [Dr] Dre... he’ll barely give you the music! I’m sure people are anticipating his album, but I think a few months builds anticipation. Eight years is like, ‘god damn!’ But to be around people who have accomplished so much more than you really keeps you down to earth. And it shows you just how much you can achieve.

Dead Man Running is in UK cinemas now through Revolver Entertainment