At the height of his career, 50 Cent made the deliberate move to wear a bulletproof vest due to concerns for his personal safety. He had been shot multiple times before attaining fame, which led him to take precautions to protect himself from potential threats or acts of retaliation from rival gangs.
However, as time went on, 50 Cent’s public appearances gradually featured him without the bulletproof vest. In a recent interview with Men’s Health, the G-Unit leader explained why he departed from his iconic trademark look.
Reflecting on the transition, 50 Cent explained, “I can’t pinpoint the exact moment when I stopped wearing the bulletproof vest. What happened was, I acquired other assets. I obtained vehicles that were fully equipped at a level 6, equivalent to what President Obama utilized.”
He continued, “So it didn’t make sense to have to wear it every day because it was like in between that one space that I was going into the building and coming out of the building. So, I started to wear it less but this is almost like my hallmark,” he added. “In my early career, I was more often seen wearing it than without it.”
As been claimed in multiple reports, 50 Cent was shot nine times in his Queens, New York neighborhood in 2000. Although the rapper has stuck to his story, his first baby mama, Shaniqua Tompkins, who’s been feuding with the rapper for years, says that number has always been exaggerated.
In her interview with J.U., who was present during the incident, Tompkins claims the rapper was shot five times and not nine as widely speculated.
Elsewhere in his interview with Men’s Health, the ‘Window Shopper’ hitmaker touched on his profound relationship with Eminem, describing him as a pivotal figure in his life and career.
“[Eminem] is one of the most important people to me and to my career. He offered me a safe place, he just never participated in anything negative, I guess he just wanted me to win the entire time.”
50 Cent is currently on his Final Lap Worldwide tour which made an appearance at at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Wednesday (October 9). For the first of two sold-out nights, 50 Cent surprised the audience by welcoming J. Cole on stage, who performed “No Role Modelz.”
Cole also paid homage to 50 Cent, declaring the New York rapper’s seminal debut album, “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” “the best album of all time” over Michael Jackson’s groundbreaking album “Thriller.”
Watch 50 Cent’s full interview with Men’s Health below.
