50 Cent’s work with SMS Audio caused conflict with Interscope Records, according to the Queens, New York rapper.
“Interscope is Beats Records,” 50 Cent says in an interview Forbes. “There’s no artist that has a marketing budget supporting what they’re actually doing that doesn’t have Beats headphones in the actual visual to support that brand, that company. So when I invested in SMS Audio, it kind of made people afraid.”
50 Cent says this conflict made him feel like they had to part ways.
“It kind of got to a point that it was like, ‘I’ve got to get out of here. Y’all need to just go do what you’re doing with this,'” he said. “Because it was too much of a priority, Beats, with the actual record company.”
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Interscope continues handling 50 Cent’s back catalogue of music. However, 50 Cent’s G-Unit Records is now set to be distributed by Caroline/Capitol/UMG, which has the same parent company as Interscope Records.
“50 Cent is, and always will be, a marquee artist for us,” Steve Berman, Vice Chairman of Interscope/Geffen/A&M, said in a statement in February, as per Forbes. “We respect his decision to pursue this new venture and the next chapter in his career, and wish him nothing but the best. He will always be a part of our family.”
In February, 50 Cent explained why he feels he’s special to Interscope.
“I’m a special case and situation,” he said at the time. “It’s also because of the leverage of having the strong relationships with Eminem and Dr. Dre. They don’t want me to be uncomfortable. They value our friendship to the point that they would never want [to jeopardize] it over that little bit of money.”
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