Rapper 50 Cent Is Now a Bitcoin Millionaire

Rapper 50 Cent's move to accept bitcoin for his 2014 "Animal Ambition" album has resulted in a multi-million dollar windfall.

AccessTimeIconJan 24, 2018 at 7:30 p.m. UTC
Updated Aug 18, 2021 at 8:00 p.m. UTC

Presented By Icon

Election 2024 coverage presented by

Stand with crypto

Rapper 50 Cent's move to accept bitcoin for his 2014 "Animal Ambition" album has resulted in a multi-million dollar windfall.

On Tuesday, celebrity gossip site TMZ reported that 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, had garnered about 700 BTC after moving to accept the cryptocurrency for the album. At the time, the rapper was accepting payments through processor startup BitPay. At the time, that amount was worth about $400k, and by the publication's estimation, his holdings are now worth somewhere between $7 million and $9 million.

  • Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
    13:18
    Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
  • Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
    05:10
    Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
  • The first video of the year 2024
    04:07
    The first video of the year 2024
  • The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
    40:07
    The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
  • The performance artist has confirmed the TMZ article, posting its text to Instagram and writing: "Not Bad for a kid from South Side, I'm so proud of me." In a comment on the social media site, he claimed that he had forgotten about the cache of bitcoin in the years since the Animal Ambition move.

    Jackson has a history of entrepreneurial success, most famously as an early investor in Glaceau, which Coca-Cola later acquired for $4.1 billion. He has an extensive portfolio that includes a clothing line, dietary supplements and real estate among other things.

    Yet he made waves by taking the step to accept bitcoin for the album, joining the ranks of other musicians who in past years have made similar moves. That year, for example, rock group Mastodon similarly started taking bitcoin via BitPay, and in November of last year, Icelandic singer Bjork revealed that her "Utopia" album would be available to buyers using multiple cryptocurrencies.

    Disclosure: CoinDesk is a subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which has an ownership stake in BitPay. 

    Image Credit: Jamie Lamor Thompson / Shutterstock.com

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information have been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of the Bullish group, which owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish group equity-based compensation. Bullish was incubated by technology investor Block.one.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.