Fif already won half a million betting on his hometown New York Giants in the playoffs.
By Rob Markman

50 Cent
Photo: Johnny Nunez/ WireImage

<P><a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/50_cent/artist.jhtml">50 Cent</a> is ready to double down. After winning half a million dollars betting on the New York Giants to beat the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL playoffs last week, Fif wants to bet $1 million in next week's Super Bowl. And it's not just any old bet &#8212; 50 specifically challenged Cash Money boss <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/baby_aka_the_1_stunna/artist.jhtml">Birdman</a> via Twitter on Wednesday night. </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:714633" width="240" height="211"></div><p> "I'm up 500,000 off the last one. F--- it ill bet it back Ill put a 1,000,000 on my G MEN. STUNNER you got the # hit me if you want it," 50 <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/50cent/status/162364047021457408" target="_blank">wrote</a> Wednesday night in support of his hometown team. "I just check the spread Hold up the M casino in vegas said patriots-3 I'm have to bet over there unless STUNNTER giving up points. Get at me." Fif's tweets came in response to the general challenge that <a href="http://rapfix.mtv.com/2012/01/24/birdman-bets-5-million-patriots-super-bowl-xlvi/">Birdman threw out</a> into the world on Monday after the 2012 Super Bowl matchup between the Giants and the New England Patriots was made official. "I like New ENGLaNd. my nephew play RB #42. "I'm Bet 5 million 2 any ni----. like tha Giants YMCMB. BabyMoney anybody kan Getit," he wrote. The "#42" Birdman referenced in his tweet is New England running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis. On Wednesday, the #1 Stunna issued another general challenge when he wrote: "New England ni---. #42 ... 5 Million is like 5 racks New york standup Giants. BabyMoney. YMCMB." 50 followed Birdman's tweet by directly calling out Baby. No word as to whether or not the Cash Money CEO accepted the G-Unit general's bet. Last year Birdman bet $1 million on the Green Bay Packers &#8212; Lil Wayne's favorite team &#8212; who managed to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers. Super Bowl XLVI will be held in Indianapolis on February 5.</p>

• Birdman
• 50 Cent

50 tells Forbes he has 'recorded so much material' since last album in 2009.
By Rob Markman

50 Cent at the MTV Australia Awards 2008 at the Australian Technology Park, Redfern on April 26, 2008 in Sydney, Australia
Photo: Kristian Dowling/Getty Images

<P><a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/50_cent/artist.jhtml">50 Cent</a> may be fighting with his record label to release his oft-delayed fifth studio album, but that hasn't stopped the G-Unit general from planning for his sixth LP. Still no word when G-Unit and Interscope will release Fif's next album, but when they do, the <i>get Rich or Die Tryin'</i> MC wants to hit the shelves again instead of hitting the road. </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="id:1673935" width="240" height="211"></div><p> "This time I'm not sure if I'll tour the world like I did on my last project, 'cause it makes my album cycle two years long," 50 told <a href="http://www.thisis50.com/forum/topics/50-cent-wants-to-put-out-two-albums" target="_blank"><i>Forbes</i></a> in a video interview. "So I think I'd like to launch this record and come right back and launch another record following it." Releasing this fifth album has been a constant battle for 50. <a href="/news/articles/1666162/50-cent-interscope-label.jhtml">The rapper blasted Interscope</a> chairman Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre last summer, but later calmed his angst and made peace. Earlier this month, <a href="http://rapfix.mtv.com/2012/01/09/50-cent-apologizes-to-interscope-after-venting-on-twitter">50 took to Twitter</a> and once gain blasted Interscope after a song slated for his album leaked onto the Internet. "I have lost all faith in the team I'm on," he wrote. A few days later he backed down. "Discovered a computer glitch leaked my song," 50 tweeted on January 8. "Sorry to team at Interscope for over reacting!" Whatever the holdup, there has been a noticeable gap between Fif's retail releases. His last album, <i>Before I Self Destruct,</i> hit shelves in November 2009 and the Queens MC has amassed so many songs since then that he has enough for two projects. "It's been three years since my last album, so I've recorded so much material that I'm really excited about trying to get those ideas to the general public so they get a chance to hear it and appreciate it," he said. <i>What do you hope to hear from 50 Cent's much-anticipated fifth album? Let us know in the comments!</i></p>

• MTV News Extended Play: 50 Cent

• 50 Cent

'My New Year's resolution is to quit smoking ... it's a very dirty, filthy habit,' Travie McCoy tells us.
By Jocelyn Vena

Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images

<P>Wondering what some of the biggest names in the music industry are resolving to do come 2012? Well, wonder no more. MTV News asked some of those folks just that, and they are dishing on what their New Year's resolutions are for the next 12 months. "Ah man, so many. So many new things to work on myself. I just got to be conscious, more conscious of myself," <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/50_cent/artist.jhtml">50 Cent</a> explained. "And try and be a better judge of character with others." Gym Class Heroes frontman <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/mccoy_travie/artist.jhtml">Travie McCoy</a> seems to be taking a page from Fiddy's handbook and looking to better himself in the new year. "My New Year's resolution is to quit smoking ... it's a very dirty, filthy habit," he said. "But not [only] is it my New Year's resolution to quit, but it's also my New Year's resolution to get my friends to quit as well." <center><embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:722221/cp~vid%3D722221%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A722221" width="460" height="260" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" base="."></embed></center> <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/common/artist.jhtml">Common</a> opened up about the philosophical goal he hopes to achieve in the coming year. "I haven't thought deeply on it, but I would say I just want to be great at everything I do," he said. "Greatness." Some celebrities are planning to look inward in the new year, and others, it seems, want to physically broaden their horizons. Jill Scott said, "I'd like to visit Europe more often next year." Meanwhile, <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/evanescence/artist.jhtml">Evanescence</a>'s Amy Lee wants to travel in order to meet more of her devoted fans. "We're gonna make it a goal to just go to all those countries where we have fans going, 'Hey come to my country. You've never been here.' That's sort of our goal for next year is to go everywhere and tour all the places we've never been and see the world," she said. "Have some fun." Before making those resolutions a reality, many celebrities will be out and about on New Year's Eve looking to break loose at a number of big <a href="/news/articles/1676540/new-years-eve-party-kim-kardashian-lady-gaga.jhtml">New Year's parties</a>. And MTV will also be getting in on the fun during <a href="http://www.mtv.com/shows/new_years_eve/series.jhtml">"NYE in NYC 2012,"</a> which will feature Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Mac Miller and more. The show airs live at 11 p.m. ET on Saturday from Times Square, where the famous ball drops.</p>

• 50 Cent
• Common

Sale of each headset will provide 250 meals, rapper tells MTV News.
By Nadeska Alexis

50 cent
Photo: MTV News

<P><P><a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/50_cent/artist.jhtml">50 Cent</a>'s entrepreneurial efforts are currently dedicated to pushing his new line of SMS Audio headphones, but the music mogul has also put a charitable spin on the venture. During the NYC launch party for his new tech gear, Fif told MTV News that proceeds from each pair of headphones will be donated to charity. </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:719376" width="240" height="211"></div><p> "Because of my <a href="http://rapfix.mtv.com/2011/09/06/50-cent-introduces-street-king/">Street King initiative</a>, with every purchase there's a meal being provided through the United Nations World Food Programme," he said. "And with this actual project, I decided I wanted to do something here in America. So for every pair of these headsets that are sold domestically and online through <a href="http://smsby50.com/" target="_blank">SMSAudio.com</a>, 250 meals will be provided by Feeding America, which is our leading charitable organization against hunger." Over the past few months, 50 has been outspoken about the need to fund charitable organizations, using sales from his Street King energy drink to launch a campaign focused on feeding "a billion kids." "I think business is the answer for finding finances for situations that have been unanswered and untouched," 50 added. "If young entrepreneurs follow in my footsteps, with having a charitable business model that actually gives back, then you don't have people standing at <a href="http://rapfix.mtv.com/2011/10/29/50-cent-psa-support-occupy-wall-street-protests/">Occupy Wall Street</a>, because they're aware that the major corporations are conscious of them." 50 Cent's SMS Audio headphones are priced at $299.99 for a standard pair and $399.99 for the wireless version. They're available in white, black and blue through SMSAudio.com.</p></p>

• 50 Cent

'We're gonna make a hit record,' rapper says of 'Jersey Shore' star's 2012 project.
By Nadeska Alexis

50 Cent
Photo: MTV News

<P>As early as April of this year, <a href="http://rapfix.mtv.com/2011/04/20/did-dj-pauly-d-sign-to-50-cent%E2%80%99s-g-note-records/">rumblings on the Web</a> hinted that <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/50_cent/artist.jhtml">50 Cent</a> might sign "Jersey Shore" star and former Britney Spears tourmate <a href="http://www.mtv.com/shows/jersey_shore/season_4/cast_member.jhtml?personalityId=14974">Pauly D</a> to his label, G-Note Records. But the deal wasn't <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1675288/pauly-d-50-cent-signing.jhtml">confirmed</a> until this week when both Fif and his new signee spread the word on <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/50cent/status/142419803150368769" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:717354" width="240" height="211"></div><p> During the launch party for his SMS Audio headphones line in NYC on Monday night, 50 Cent gave MTV News a few details on Pauly D's upcoming album, due out in 2012. "Pauly's project is not all his performance on the actual records," Fif explained. "It's more like what you would get from a DJ Khaled or DJ Drama but also what you would get from David Guetta &#8212; so it's a cross between those two worlds, and I think it's exciting." A cross between two of the most notorious hip-hop DJs and one of the most popular electronic DJs certainly sounds like a winning combination for Pauly D, who has already built a solid fanbase in reality TV. And with plans for Pauly to star in his own MTV show in the coming months, 50 is even more confident that the hair-gel fanatic is primed to blow up. "He obviously has a huge platform moving forward. His show is a spin-off from 'Jersey Shore,' " 50 said. "And being in front of large audiences every night DJing &#8212; we're gonna make a hit record out of the actual material that we have around and some of the new stuff that we'll put together." Maybe fans will get a chance to see 50 Cent and Pauly D working together on the album when the Rhode Island native finally <a href="/news/articles/1655338/jersey-shore-star-pauly-d-reveals-spin-off-details.jhtml">debuts his own reality show</a>. Earlier this year, Pauly D gave MTV News an idea of what fans might expect from the story line. "It'll be probably along the lines of, I used to be this DJ in Rhode Island, DJing two sets a week, hustling, promoting," he explained. "And all of a sudden, I'm on this show, and now they're sending private jets for me to DJ for these huge crowds, yet I'm still the same guy that was DJing for 200 people, just loving life." The show hasn't received an airdate just yet, but by the time it does, DJ Pauly D may well be an international superstar.</p>

• 50 Cent

G-Unit boss Fif tweets a photo of him and MTV 'Jersey Shore' star, confirming the record deal.
By Jocelyn Vena

DJ Pauly D and 50 Cent
Photo: 50 Cent via Lockerz

<P>Yeah, buddy! <a href="http://www.mtv.com/shows/jersey_shore/season_4/cast_member.jhtml?personalityId=14974">Pauly D</a> is officially a member of <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/50_cent/artist.jhtml">50 Cent</a>'s G-Unit team. The <a href="http://www.mtv.com/shows/jersey_shore/season_4/series.jhtml">"Jersey Shore"</a> star and DJ has just been signed to the rapper's G-Note record label, 50 confirmed on <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/50cent/status/142419803150368769" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, adding a photo of the pair together. Pauly also took to the site to spread the word about the deal. "Big Big Things In The Works @50cent And @DJPaulyD !!!!!" he <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/DJPaulyD/status/142435268635533312" target="_blank">wrote</a>. "#yeahhhhbuddy" (A rep for G-Unit also confirmed the signing to MTV News.) Talk of a Pauly D/ 50 Cent collaboration has been floating around since the summer when the MTV reality star teased a joint album to <a href="http://www.billboard.com/news/dj-pauly-d-channels-dj-khaled-david-guetta-1005331922.story#/news/dj-pauly-d-channels-dj-khaled-david-guetta-1005331922.story" target="_blank"><i>Billboard.</i></a> "I'm focusing on music. That's my passion," Pauly said. "I'm working with 50 Cent now. I'm gonna do an album with him. It's going to be a little bit of everything. It's almost like DJ Khaled and kind of David Guetta but my own DJ Pauly D style." The "Shore" star also hinted at the G-Unit deal in an earlier interview with <a href="http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2011/08/pauly-d-confirms-g-unit-deal-with-50-cent" target="_blank"><i>XXL,</i></a> saying that the ink on the rumored three-album deal would officially be dry by year's end. "50 Cent has also been somebody I look up to. We ended up linking up and we just clicked," he said. "We hit it off immediately with the music and everything like that. So I'm definitely gonna be working with him. There's been talks about the album and the headphones. I'm looking forward to working with that as well." The latest news comes as <a href="/news/articles/1667867/britney-spears-dj-pauly-d-femme-fatale-tour.jhtml">Pauly continues to expand</a> his brand, including a residency at Las Vegas nightclub Rain at the Palms Resort and Casino. He opened for Britney Spears on her <i>Femme Fatale</i> Tour and is reportedly set to join her again at her December 10 show, the final stop on her world tour. <i>What do you think of Pauly D teaming up with 50 Cent? Tell us in the comments!</i></p>

• 50 Cent

'I'll be dead, I'll be gone, and the material will still be here to influence new artists,' 50 tells MTV News.
By Rob Markman

Eminem
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

<P>Recording with <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/dr_dre/artist.jhtml">Dr. Dre</a> and <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/eminem/artist.jhtml">Eminem</a> is bound to rub off eventually. While in the middle of recording his upcoming fifth solo album, <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/50_cent/artist.jhtml">50 Cent</a> has learned to take his time in the booth, and that in part explains the delay in releasing his LP. "This is the first time that I've recorded and I haven't put pressure to release at a specific day. I've been on the shot clock the entire time. Dre and Em &#8212; I mean Dre's record hasn't been out in 11 years, so when you talk about perfection, it's gotta be crazy, right?" he told MTV News while at a New York book signing for his just-released <a href="/news/articles/1674008/50-cent-playground-book.jhtml">anti-bullying book, "Playground."</a> </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:708832.id:1673935" width="240" height="211"></div><p> Dre's <i>2001</i> was released in 1999 and not long after its release, fans began to hear rumblings about the <a href="/news/articles/1656142/dr-dres-detox-not-due-april-20-rep-says.jhtml">oft-delayed <i>Detox</i></a>. Dre, a noted perfectionist, has been said to be putting the finishing touches on the LP for quite some time now, and recently Fif has adopted the super-producer's ear for detail. "I think that provides additional pressure for him that it's taken this long, and in Em's case he has high standards too," 50 said. "You wouldn't believe how many times he records the records that you hear. He's done it over and over and over and over to make it sound like the way that he feels it's supposed to sound." For his 2003 breakout hit "In Da Club," the G-Unit general wasn't nearly as meticulous as he has recently become. "In the beginning, it was like 30 minutes, 'In Da Club' was 30 minutes, to write it, have the vocals laid," 50 revealed. "I punched in a few times, it didn't matter it was good. Everybody bought it, they said it's a classic and now it's a process where I'm recording it, listening to it and saying, 'I can do that better than that.' " The veteran hitmaker has realized the influence that his catalog has, and it is that realization that has him thinking differently. "I understand it now because all the material that I put out is gonna be here longer than I am," he said. "So I'll be dead, I'll be gone, and the material will still be here to influence new artists moving forward."</p>

• MTV News Extended Play: 50 Cent

• Eminem
• Dr. Dre
• 50 Cent

'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' also influenced project, 50 tells MTV News.
By Rob Markman

50 Cent
Photo: MTV News

<P><a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/50_cent/artist.jhtml">50 Cent</a> has been known to <a href="/news/articles/1673938/50-cent-rick-ross-beef-battle.jhtml">battle a rapper</a> or two, but with his new book, <a href="http://rapfix.mtv.com/2011/10/25/50-cent-promotes-anti-bullying-book-on-today-show">"Playground,"</a> the G-Unit general is taking a stance against bullies. Before a signing Friday at a New York City Barnes &amp; Noble, Fif told MTV News the book was inspired by his son Marques. </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:708825.id:1673935" width="240" height="211"></div><p> "I was inspired to write this project based on a conversation with my son," 50 said. "He was telling about someone else who was experiencing being bullied around him, and in order to explain the scenario, I had to explain it from the actual bully's perspective and say that he's dealing with his emotions the wrong way." "Playground" tells the story from the bully's perspective and attempts to explore where the cycle of abuse begins. "The actual character, Butterball, he's dealing with multiple issues," 50 explained. "He's dealing with weight issues: He's overweight, and you know how common childhood obesity is right now." He later added: "Bullying doesn't necessarily mean hitting or physically hurting someone. It can be something that you say that emotionally hurts the person." The <i>Before I Self Destruct</i> MC also found inspiration in another book: Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series. "When you think about it &#8212; because the book is amazing &#8212; but it's about a kid being bullied, and we're laughing at the character being bullied throughout the project," Fif explained. "It's kind of negative when you think about it, because you are laughing at the kid being taken advantage of. But it was an interesting perspective to write it from, and it kept my interest the entire time I was going through the book, so at the end of it, you get the message."</p>

• MTV News Extended Play: 50 Cent

• 50 Cent

'He wanted to create an awareness for himself, and he did it,' 50 tells MTV News at 'Playground' book signing.
By Rob Markman

50 Cent
Photo: MTV News

<P><P>For <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/50_cent/artist.jhtml">50 Cent</a>, battling and beefing in hip-hop are two distinctly different things. Despite his <a href="/news/articles/1604175/50-cent-rick-ross-beef-it-up-on-new-york-radio.jhtml">2009 rivalry</a> with <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/ross__rick__rap_/artist.jhtml">Rick Ross</a>, 50 said he doesn't feel the two have a beef. </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:708828.id:1673935" width="240" height="211"></div><p> After Rozay suffered two separate seizures in October, Fif responded <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/50cent/status/124972815840591872" target="_blank">via Twitter</a> when a fan asked him, "Any words for Rick Ross?" "Yeah he gotta take care of his self," the G-Unit rapper commented, <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/50cent/status/124980729670144000" target="_blank">later writing</a>, "I don't wish DEATH on him my grand father had a seizure." At an October book signing for his new anti-bullying book, "Playground," in New York, 50 told MTV News, "You shouldn't wish that on anyone." 50 said he believes Ross started the feud to raise his own rap profile: "He says it started because I looked at him the wrong way," Fif recalled of an incident on the red carpet for the 2009 BET Awards. "That just means he wanted to compete, he wanted to move up, he wanted to create an awareness for himself, and he did it." While the two did trade insults, specifically on Rozay's "Mafia Music" and Fif's "Officer Ricky," the G-Unit general said he didn't take the barbs personally, and in his mind, the two had a battle &#8212; not a beef. "This is why they changed the terminology from 'battling' to 'beefing.' It was always that battling was a part of the culture; they didn't do that until Tupac and Biggie Smalls' situation," he said. "That's when it became taboo to actually mention an artist's name." On November 1, <a href="http://rapfix.mtv.com/2011/11/01/rick-ross-explains-seizures-sleep-106-park">Ross appeared on BET's "106 &amp; Park"</a> and addressed 50's tweets: "If it was genuine, I appreciate it, and if that's the case, I thank you homey." <i>Did 50 Cent and Rick Ross have a battle or a beef? Is there a difference? Sound off below!</i></p></p>

• MTV News Extended Play: 50 Cent

• The Evolution Of: 50 Cent

• 50 Cent
• Rick Ross

By

50 Cent
Photo: MTV News

• 50 Cent

Haters

• Artist: 50 Cent
• Label: G-Unit Records
• Director: Mr. Boomtown

Here We Go Again

• Artist: 50 Cent
• Label: G Note Records
• Director: Jesses Smith

Can't Leave 'Em Alone (Feat. 50 Cent)

• Artist: 50 Cent
• Label: LaFace Records/Zomba
• Director: Fat Cats
• Album: But Beautiful

'VH1 Divas' Celebrates Soul In New York City

• Jennifer Hudson
• Florence + the Machine
• Nas
• Common
• 50 Cent

MTV Buzzworthy Blog: Funniest Celebrity Twitter Photos!

• 50 Cent
• Britney Spears
• DJ Pauly D
• 30 Seconds To Mars
• Jonas Brothers

2011 Billboard Music Awards Red Carpet

• Taylor Swift
• Rihanna
• Selena Gomez
• 50 Cent
• Ke$ha

Eminem And The New Shady Records Family

• YelaWolf
• Stat Quo
• Obie Trice
• D12
• Joe Budden

Top Hip-Hop Stories To Watch In 2011

• Dr. Dre
• Lil Wayne
• Drake
• T.I.
• 50 Cent

What Movies Should Chelsea Handler And 50 Cent Work On Together?

• 50 Cent

Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, More At The VEVO Launch Party

• Rihanna
• Lady Gaga
• Taylor Swift
• Adam Lambert
• 50 Cent

50 Cent And Beanie Sigel Shake Up New York

• 50 Cent
• Beanie Sigel

Rihanna, Shakira, Kris Allen, Adam Lambert At The 2009 American Music Awards Red Carpet

• Shakira
• Selena Gomez
• Kris Allen & Southern Thunder
• Mary J. Blige
• 50 Cent

The Evolution Of: 50 Cent

• 50 Cent