50 Cent says that Steve Stoute advised him against signing a deal with Eminem in 2002. “Don’t do the deal with the White boy,” 50 says Stoute told him at the time.
50 Cent says Stoute felt Eminem was not a good match for the New York emcee’s rapping style. “At the time, Em was doing [‘Purple Pills’ with D12], so he’s thinking [Eminem’s] a joke,” 50 says in an interview with MTV. “Of course, I did the deal with the White boy because Em is the only one that showed interest in me. He’s my favorite White boy.”
Steve Stoute and 50 Cent recently made headlines when they were involved in what appeared to be a confrontation at a New York Knicks game. The confrontation followed Stoute’s comments regarding 50 Cent’s relevance in music.
“He hasn’t had a hit in a really long time,” Stoute said last month. “He has not made anything musically that’s changed anything in a very long time. I feel like he’s always gearing up for something that never happens…Hopefully, now that he’s independent and there is no record company to blame, his aggressive content will get on the air.”
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50 Cent Addresses Steve Stoute Confrontation
During the more recent MTV interview, 50 was asked what he and Stoute discussed during their confrontation. “I said, ‘That wasn’t very nice of you, Steve. To say what you said wasn’t really nice, and I think you should apologize.’…Nah, I said it a little different,” 50 Cent says.
Stoute signed 50 Cent to Columbia Records in the 1990s. The rapper was shot in 2000 and subsequently released from the label’s roster. 50 Cent says Stoute, who went from Columbia to Interscope, did not sign him a second time.
“He was running Interscope at the time,” 50 says. “When I tried to play him the music, he was like, ‘Oh no, I already know what you can do, I already know what you can do. Remember, I signed you the first time?'”
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Nevertheless, 50 Cent’s signing to Interscope through Shady/Aftermath proved beneficial. The rapper released several albums through the imprint, including the diamond-selling Get Rich Or Die Trying.
In February, 50 announced his departure from Shady/Aftermath/Interscope, saying that he was “excited to enter this new era where I can carry out my creative vision.”
RELATED:50 Cent Leaves Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment & Interscope Records
