50 Cent's personal life problems have business consequences

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“First they love me, then they hate me, then they love me again.” – Jay-Z, “Meet The Parents”

50 Cent has been having his worst week ever since getting shot nine times back in 2000.

At least then, there was a clear-cut pathway to redemption, even if it wasn’t easy. Get rich or die trying. 50’s present conundrum is a quite a bit more complicated, because when baby mamas, kids, public perception, opinion mix with social media, the media, the result is a volatile public relations mess.

Last week, 50 Cent, known to the government as Curtis Jackson, was slapped with domestic violence and vandalism charges. Authorities allege the rapper kicked Daphne Joy, a woman reported to be the mother of one of his children. Recently, the 38-year-old made light of the charges on social media, opting to focus on how lavishly he’s living.

At press time, 50 was charged with one count of domestic violence, four counts of vandalism and faces five years in jail. Joy released a statement through her lawyer that expounded on the situation, “Daphne Joy and Curtis Jackson have been together for a few years in an exclusive relationship. They had a child and now Daphne’s number one priority is to ensure both her and the baby’s safety during this difficult time. We also hope everyone will respect her and the baby’s privacy.”

Baby? 50 Cent has been over sharing parts of his live but keeping other parts hidden. In one fell swoop, we knew a bit too much.

From bad to worse

Issues with his teen son were revealed and old beefs with the boy’s mother began to surface online. It has not been confirmed, but 50 Cent claims his child’s mother Shaniqua Tompkins, was impersonating their 16-year-old son Marquise in an expletive laden text conversation. 50 believes Thompkins then sent the texts messages to RadarOnline who originally reported the story.

Still, the nasty texts appear to show 50 calling his son “f**king stupid” and a “motherf**ker,” even if it was perhaps his ex on the other end. All of the dirty laundry resulted in the multi-millionaire removing both Marquise and Shaniqua out of his will. OUCH.

50 Cent has always been very methodical in his career, never letting his real-life beefs adversely affect his business. This has changed with the domestic violence charge.

He cancelled an appearance in the UK, due to “unforeseen circumstances.” This week, he was informed that his domestic case forced Major League of Baseball to cut him from their July 14th “MLB All-Star Bash” in New York City.

This is a big deal. 50 Cent has been embroiled in many beefs, but this one is clearly a game changer. Violence against women is wholly unacceptable while rap beef is not only accepted but encouraged. Flipping out on his own kids didn’t help Alec Baldwin and it certainly won’t help 50.

Rick Ross learned this the hard way when a small, determined group of “soccer moms” got his Reebok deal revoked over a rap lyric that alluded to date rape. Forget the endless lyrical murders, drug dealing, and random degenerate behavior. But, I digress. What does this all mean to 50 Cent?

It is not clear yet. One thing is for certain: he’s mainstreamed and broadened his operations in the past few years. He’s made appearances on QVC to sell SMS headphones to Middle America. His SK (once called Street King) energy drink touts sportscaster Erin Andrews and yoga instructor Genevieve Boulanger as two of the faces of the brand. He’s made friends with the gatekeepers of boxing that have given him a pass to promote fights through SMS Promotions. The domestic charge has altered the paradigm.

Basically 50 Cent has gone back to being scary again, despite his domestic violence denials, mainstream moves and considerable charm.

These days, that doesn’t work so well, especially since we have seen Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Tyler The Creator and others become exorcized from corporate dealings.

Learning from your peers

I spoke to Robert Greene, the author of The 48 Laws of Power and he offered a very interesting view of 50 Cent. Keep in mind, they co-authored The 50th Law together. He said, while haters may rejoice, its likely that 50 Cent will bounce back.

“[50 Cent] is a master of the connection between music and business,” Greene said, “If he has ups and downs in his career, I would put my money on him landing on his feet.” History as a guide agrees with this notion of 50 Cent claiming victory through tribulation.

So now, whether its fact or perception, these corporate entities feel they have a glimpse into the private, uglier life and times of 50 Cent. Not good. Its likely to affect business in the short run, but probably won’t adversely affect him as time moves on. Life is a winding road and it is wrought with potholes and bumps. That is to be expected, but 50 Cent set his GPS before navigation existed and he’ll reach his a new destination eventually.

Hopefully, he comprehends where he stands and doesn’t underestimate his negative position as Lil Wayne and Rick Ross did earlier this year.

He’ll probably need to atone for some things that he’s done and fight other allegations. Either way, he”ll need to thoroughly seek redemption in its many forms if he is to restore his image, walking that fine line between bad ass and business.

For now, he’ll have to contend with the short-term memory of a judgmental public, and the corporations chiefly concerned with a blemish on their brands.

Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur is a father, son and the co-founder of AllHipHop.com. He’s a cultural critic, pundit and trailblazer that has been featured on National Public Radio (NPR), BET, TVOne, VH1, The E! Channel, MTV, The O’Reilly Factor, USA Today, The New York Times, New York’s Hot 97 FM and like a zillion other outlets.