50 Cent says it ‘stings’ when people call him a homophobe: ‘My mom’s gay!’
Curtis Jackson, AKA 50 Cent, attends a ceremony honouring him with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 30 January, 2020. (Getty/ Albert L Ortega)
50 Cent, who once suggested that men who do not sleep with women should “just kill” themselves, said it “stings” when people call him a homophobe.
Speaking to The Independent, the rapper, real name Curtis Jackson, discussed a queer storyline in his new TV show Power Book III: Raising Kanan.
The crime drama is the second spin-off of his original TV series Power, and serves as a prequel for the character of Kanan Stark. 50 Cent has said that the series is loosely based on his own upbringing.
In the first episode, a teenage version of Stark’s cousin Laverne “Jukebox” Ganner is shown exploring her sexuality, a storyline which exists, he said, “because of my mom”.
He said: “She was like that. She had a girlfriend around. These are things that feel like they’re going into the story organically, [so] it works.”
The rapper has been open about the fact that his mother was queer since his early music was released, but has repeatedly received backlash for making anti-LGBT+ comments.
But when others accuse 50 Cent of homophobia, he said it “stings”, adding: “[People] saw me being aggressive, they saw the stereotype.”
50 Cent has a long history of anti-LGBT+ comments
In 2004, 50 Cent infamously said in an interview with Playboy: “I ain’t into faggots, I don’t like gay people around me, because I’m not comfortable with what their thoughts are.
“I’m not prejudiced. I just don’t go with gay people and kick it – we don’t have that much in common. I’d rather hang out with a straight dude.”
“But women who like women, that’s cool,” he added.
In 2010, the rapper suggested that men who do not sleep with women should “just kill” themselves.
The same year, he joked about homophobic violence during a spat with celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, tweeting: “Perez Hilton calld [sic] me douchebag so I had my homie shoot up a gay wedding. Wasn’t his but still made me feel better.”
As recently as July last year, he suggested he might be gay for thinking Halle Berry was “still beautiful” after she announced she would be playing a trans man in a film.
Berry later pulled out of the project, but 50 cent posted on Instagram at the time: “Oh my God. So if I still think you’re beautiful. I’m gay ass a MF.”
