50 Cent is one of the most prolific, accomplished, and versatile hip-hop moguls we have today. Sure, much of that infamy these days attributes itself to his scathing takedowns of another rap mogul, Diddy, but don't let that distract you from his film and television empire. Moreover, Fif recently caught flack from fans who accused him of opening a G-Unit production studio in Shreveport, Louisiana only for it being a "cheap deal." While speaking to KMJJ's Anthony "Big Ant" Simmons, he laughed off this idea and explained not only why he made the decision, but why the logic behind this argument is a deeply flawed one. No matter what side you stand on, it seems like G-Unit is staying in Louisiana. Nevertheless, they did consider Houston, as well.
"[Houston] embraced me. When I got out there, they showed me a lot of love," 50 Cent shared. "But Shreveport had the infrastructure already here. Even the tax incentive. I’m spending $20 million this year anyway in the same building that they saying was the cheap building. So find somebody else to spend the $20 million…They don’t have anyone who has enough production going on for them to just offset that."
50 Cent Refutes Claims That He Picked Shreveport For A Production Studio Due To Being Cheap
Also, Simmons praised 50 Cent's commitment to filming 80 percent of all his productions in Shreveport as part of this deal. As they both noted, this would "eject a lot more money" into the city on top of the hype concerning pretty much any 50 project. However, this isn't all that was criticized when it comes to G-Unit's Louisiana presence. The Queens superstar actually went back and forth with Hurricane Chris over critiques of his Humor & Harmony Weekend Festival in the city.
Meanwhile, 50 Cent does have some defenders out there when it comes to these criticisms, including Fredo Bang. These are just the consequences of having such a wide media reach. But we'll see if any future moves inspire a similar gut reaction or if people appreciate these moves more. After all, we have to see what this Shreveport studio produces in order to fully speak on it, and we're excited to see what's coming next.