50 Cent Doubles Down on Rejection of Biden's Tax Plan
There's a reason 50 Cent named his 2003 debut LP Get Rich or Die Tryin'. As the pandemic rages and partisan tensions flare leading up to Election Day, the rapper/actor/businessman put his hat in the ring for President Trump. In an Instagram post yesterday afternoon, the artist otherwise known as Curtis Jackson shared a screen grab from CNBC's Power Lunch showing speculative tax rates for wealthy individuals in certain states — as determined by the Washington, D.C.-based, business-friendly think tank the Tax Foundation. His accompanying caption read (among other verbiage, including a diatribe about the Knicks): "I don't care Trump doesn't like black people 62% are you out of ya fucking mind."
Naturally, conservative pundits took to social media with an armament of monetary punchlines. Fox News, in turn, picked up on both 50 Cent's tacit presidential endorsement and the subsequent preponderance of Twitter puns. One on-air host even adopted a crude urban patois while articulating Trump campaign advisor Katrina Pierson's pithy, pinned tweet about percentages.
Undeterred by backlash to his initial remarks, 50 tipped his hat right back to Fox News, sharing the clip and reiterating, "Yeah, i don’t want to be 20cent. 62% is a very, very,bad idea. i don’t like it ! #abcforlife nov 18 #starzgettheapp." Though at least this time, he was sure to plug the Starz app, ensuring a captive audience might enrich him further by paying for the network's streaming service so they can access the popular dramatic series Power and Power Book II: Ghost, both of which he co-executive produces.
Related: How Joe Biden's Tax Plan Could Affect Small-Business Owners
It's tempting to draw a parallel between 50's outburst and the ado surrounding Ice Cube's efforts to coordinate with the Trump administration on aspects of his plan to elevate Black businesses. But far more compelling and curious is the disconnect between 50's rich-man's lament and the purported ethos of the charity he co-founded, G-Unity Foundation, which advocated for investment in low-income communities. That said, the URL for G-Unity now redirects you to a clearinghouse for 50's infinite universe of for-profit branded merchandise.
For more information on Biden's tax plan, we recommend visiting his campaign's official website.
