Arrested For Swearing At St. Kitts Gig, Rapper 50 Cent Sprung Loose And Coming Home
Arrested for swearing before 40,000 concertgoers at the St. Kitts Music Festival, rapper 50 Cent returned to court on Sunday morning, June 26, 2016, to pay his fine and was on his way home by Sunday afternoon. The annual festival in its 20th time around and lasted from Thursday through Saturday.
According to the New York Daily News, the 40-year-old rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, was originally only scheduled to host the event but ended up performing at the organizers’ request. Before he was arrested for swearing, 50 Cent chanted “motherf*****” several times while doing “P.I.M.P.,” and thus broke the law. His representative explained the circumstances leading up to the faux pas.
“He obliged and used the D.J. they had there. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the clean version to his tracks, so there were profanities used during his performance.”
The official Caribbean isle of Nevis Trip Advisor explains why one would be arrested for swearing.
“Nevis culture has a strong religious foundation. Cursing in public is against the law. Nude bathing and topless bathing are not permitted. Beachwear is fine for the beach, but in public places it is not considered appropriate to be dressed in skimpy beach or resort clothes, such as short shorts or halter tops.”
According to Yahoo Celebrity, 50 Cent, who boasts of several serious run-ins with the law in his life, is not the first performer to be penalized for using profanity on the island. In 2003, DMX was also arrested for swearing at the same musical event. In 2012, 50 Cent made an appearance at a Las Vegas court not for himself but to accompany friend Floyd Mayweather Jr., who was about to serve a three-month sentence for domestic violence.
Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of the borough of Queens, 50 Cent begins his story as a dealer of drugs at age 12 and getting periodically arrested for his chosen vocation. After swearing off the drug trade to pursue a musical career, his past caught up with him when he was shot nine times in a 2000 ambush. In 2002, he was spotted by Eminem and signed by Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records, following the release of his compilation album Guess Who’s Back?
The New York Daily News reported that 50 Cent’s finances were shaky last year when he filed for bankruptcy. In the following months, however, there appeared to be no arrested growth to his wealth when he posted an Instagram image for the benefit of followers, swearing by the existence of several stacks of $100 bills arranged to spell “broke.” He took it all back in March, filing a court statement claiming the bills to be fake.
Another drawback to his life came in the form of a $6 million settlement earlier this year with Lastonia Leviston, who would otherwise have him arrested for sharing her private sex tape online to draw viewers to his website. The fine for swearing in St. Kitts was paltry in comparison.
According to Us Magazine, the rapper’s spokesman said that after the festival people convinced him to perform, they couldn’t produce a clean version to his tracks, forcing him to use profanities in the show for which he got arrested. The performance was well received, and he has future trips to St. Kitts planned sans the swearing. He plans to leave the “motherf******s” in the United States.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, 50 Cent would not normally be mentioned with famine relief in the same sentence. However, in 2011, he suddenly shifted his focus to philanthropic activities. He helped launch Street King energy drink in collaboration with Pure Growth Partners. Every time a bottle of Street King is purchased, a portion of the money goes towards addressing the arrested growth of children for lack of food. The project arose out of 50 Cent’s swearing to feed one billion people in Africa between 2011 and 2016.
The rap star and occasional actor is not only known for his hit songs but also for acting parts in movies like Righteous Kill, starring Al Pacino. From his efforts, 50 Cent has built up a net worth of $260 million. And though he now owns property in several cities and lords it over an entertainment and retail empire, his rough early years when he periodically got arrested for drug-dealing, still follows him around.
His swearing off narcotics has not erased his past.
[Photo by David Becker/Getty Images]
