Key Takeaways
- 50 Cent said rappers should not expect to remain the hottest artists at 60 because hip-hop remains closely tied to youth culture.
- The rapper-turned-TV mogul said he still loves making music and has unreleased material, but he views new songs as occasional reminders that he "still got it."
- His stance contrasts with Lil Wayne, who says age has sharpened his perspective, and Jay-Z, who has teased a 14th studio album ahead of turning 57.
50 Cent has made it clear how he feels about rappers who refuse to put down the mic long after their prime.
On Thursday (August 20), the G-Unit head honcho appeared as a special guest on Apple Music 1's Rap Life Review as part of Donell Jones and Joe's VERZUZ event. While chatting with hosts Ebro Darden and Nadeska Alexis, he was asked about his career pivot into television and film and whether or not he feels he still has another album in him.
"I'm not trying to be in the way," he said. "Hip-hop culture is connected to youth culture. You are not supposed to be the hottest in nothing at 60."
50 said he's ok with older singers performing "love music" regardless of their age because it has a "timeless" quality, before explaining that he still has "love for music."
"I'm never going to lose that. I'm always want to do something. And those are like entries," he said. "It's me putting a little piece or tab something in there for them to hear that I still do it that I still got it."
50 added that while he still has material in the stash, he joked: "If it doesn’t sell, you keep it to your muthafuckin' self … Muthafucka tell you, 'This is a personal album. I made this for this and that.' Then why do I hear it, bitch?"
The debate of whether rappers should continue performing past their middle age has been a recurring topic in the industry for years. While former OutKast member André 3000, 51, has seemingly checked out of rap, excluding an occasional verse on collaborations, Lil Wayne, 43, feels that his musical perspective has only gotten better with age.
Jay-Z, who turns 57 in December, has teased his 14th studio album over the summer while performing a three-night residency dedicated to two of his classic albums, Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint.
