50 Cent Helps UN Feed Children in Africa

Is 50 Cent Becoming the Next Celebrity Humanitarian?

Rapper 50 Cent recently became a large donor to the United Nations’ World Food Program, and joined U.N. officials on a trip to Somalia.

ABC News accompanied him on his trip to Somalia, and seemed surprised that the rapper, famously known for being shot nine times, could have such compassion and sympathy for a great cause like this one.

An ABC News reporter writes:

Watching 50 Cent peer into a makeshift hut, interact with school children who only get one meal a day, it struck me that this is a man whose personality is very different from his persona.

While his book, “The 50th law,” and often violent rap lyrics talk about being tough in a cold, hard world, 50 Cent doesn’t drink or smoke, he meditates with Deepak Chopra, he owned a 4-pound dog named Oprah that he liked to dress up and lives in a mansion alone in Connecticut.

And now “the Hip-Hop Bono,” as his manager called him, is in Africa helping children.

“I want to be more, not just an artist, but as a person,” 50 Cent told reporters. “My legacy, what’s left behind, I don’t want to be a guy who’s just remembered for writing a few decent songs.”

And he won’t be. 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, went from being a crack dealer to No. 2 on Forbes list of richest black entertainers. He’s rebranded his “bad boy” persona into a multi-million dollar image. But don’t think his volunteerism is a publicity stunt.

50 Cent made it clear that humanitarian work is the next phase of his life.

“This is the next chapter in my life,” 50 Cent said of the Somalia trip. “I don’t care if my audience is prepared to move forward with me, they may not necessarily be growing at the same pace. Some of them will understand it and others will turn their nose up at it, but who cares?”