50 Cent Tells G-Unit The Free Ride Is Over

[Simagine]

The free ride is over at 50 Cent's G-Unit Records.

The rap mogul has confessed he was overgenerous with artists on his label. In fact, Fitty spent $8.5 million of his own money to take a lot of the rappers on his most recent tour so that they could bring their entourages - and so that everyone could travel, as he says, "comfortably."

Not only that, he'd hand out hundreds of thousands of dollars to them at a time just for the asking, Sacha Jenkins writes in the new issue of XXL magazine. "Whether I got to give them $500,000 or $300,000 ... Just 'cause they want $300,000 more to make what they [are] doing at the time comfortable. Like, 'yo, I want to get this new place over here.' "

Sure, 50's got plenty of do-re-mi: His albums "Get Rich or Die Tryin' " and "The Massacre" sold 20 million copies combined. And though his album "curtis" is delayed till September, he's getting a payday playing a boxer in the Nicolas Cage movie "The Dance," and a drug dealer in "Righteous Kill" with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. And there are the clothing and sneaker lines - and at least $100 million more he stands to make now that coca-cola has bought Glaceau, which owns Fitty's Formula 50 Vitamin Water. But still, he called a meeting and told the artists at his label that the free ride was over.

"Laze was there as representation of M.O.P., Havoc and Prodigy," he told the hip-hop mag. "Banks, Buck. Spider was on the phone. Olivia was there. Sha Money was there. I broke it down. I told them I wouldn't be assisting them financially anymore. Pretty much I was telling them I wouldn't be there. [In the past] they'd make a lot of money and spend a lot of money and have me there to fix it."

There was another problem. "I looked around the room, and I was the only person with G-Unit sneakers on. But they were being paid," he adds. "It had become the norm for the check to come, but they were no longer wearing the clothes."

Still, 50 lives in the largest mansion in connecticut - Mike Tyson's former spread. He moved there from a basement room in his grandmother's house in Queens, where, in a visit beautifully shot by Ben Watts, 50 ruminates: "When I come back here ... it's like my feet are on the ground."

[**JASON BLACK**]

I feel this nigga, g unit use to be hot like 2002-2006 but now they just fell off. Banks use to be around with his freestyles and buck just use to be around, but now i think they all got fucking lazy because they saw 50 make 100 million.

[MetrO]

good, i say he drop evrybody but Mobb Deep and Lloyd Banks. and get some underground cats like Seed, and Unk Murda. then id actually purcha......naw id actually download a g-unit cd/mixtape

[JayNiac]

Except For Fifty

Gunit Should Get Cancelled.

[Christ]

I wouldnt lose a wink.

[bAnKs358]

this is old news nigga

[**JASON BLACK**]

Yo i saw all of them jollying it up on the "i get money" video

[killa seven]

they all suck except for banks and buck

[niar]

Wanksta's trying to get paid off of what other niggaz be doin in the streets

[Sideshow Bob]

Giving them money only showed them that they didnt have to rap and they could live off Fifty... money is a crave. Don't give someone a taste if they don't deserve it or will abuse it.

Then again, This could easily be a case of buying friendship, who's gonna stick by Fifty now?

[Ekolost]

theyve just become too lazy as they could just ask for money from 50. still most of the rappers are garbage!

[Atticus]

50 isn't even relivent in a mainstream sense anyways

[Tommyknocker]

man, I never had all that much respect for 50 anywayz, and now I got even less respect for him, seein how he be lettin all these cats play ´im like that..

I guess he ain´t really the king of HIS castle.

[Hellomoto]

okay but I think they should keep Buck to... But Yayo is just bad for G-unit can't eaven rap!

[wazupwitcha]

50 dont giva fuck bout nobody