$75M for a 50 Cent Documentary?—Hulu Greenlights Profile

Photo Credit: 50 Cent by Laura Hartley / CC by 4.0

50 Cent teased that Hulu was paying $75M for a documentary about him, but since it was April 1, fans weren’t sure if it was a joke. It wasn’t.

On April 1, rapper 50 Cent posted on social media that Hulu was paying $75 million for a documentary about him, having beaten out Apple, Netflix, and Starz for the opportunity. But since it was April Fool’s Day, his followers weren’t sure if it was serious news or not. Now, it appears that the Disney-owned Hulu has indeed greenlit a new three-part documentary series about the “In Da Club” hitmaker.

The series will tell the story of 50 Cent, born Curtis Jackson, and his beginnings in Queens, going on to become a household name, selling over 30 million records. The “definitive” documentary will chronicle the artist’s evolution “from the streets of Queens to global cultural dominance—exploring how he relentlessly reinvented himself across music, business, and film while redefining the rules of power, influence, and success.”

The project will be directed by Mandon Lovett (“For Khadija: The French Montana Story”; “Origins of Hip-Hop”; “Rap Caviar Presents”) and produced by The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC), which also produced “Rap Caviar Presents,” and Jackson’s own G-Unit Film & Television. Patrick Altena, producer of CNN’s “Dreamland: The Burning of Black Wall Street,” will serve as showrunner and will executive produce alongside Jackson, Lovett, and IPC’s Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman (formerly of Sony Pictures Television).

Hulu has had a slew of music documentary projects in recent years, including “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story,” and “Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band.”

50 Cent made it big with his 2003 album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, which featured the hit “In Da Club.” He eventually moved into television and film alongside Starz, and then launched his own production company. He was also behind the controversial Netflix documentary series, “Sean Combs: The Reckoning.”