Many in the media say 50 Cent’s net worth went from half a billion to nothing overnight. While that’s almost certainly an exaggeration, the rap star did lose a lot of money very fast. How much? Try $157 million. Thanks to a deep MoneyNation analysis, we know the 50 Cent net worth total should be sitting pretty at $143 million for 2016. Yet instead it’s about $16 million. If that seems confusing, don’t worry. We’ve got the details below that clear up the 50 Cent money story.
The bottom line is, 50 has earned an estimated total of $291 million. All things being equal, taxes and expenses should have taken a healthy chunk of that, leaving the rap star with $143 million. But 50 caught the Diddy/Jay Z/Dr. Dre bug for business. Lured by the promise of turning a hundred million into a billion, he laid down fat cash on some big time business deals like VitaminWater and his own clothing line. While some of those deals paid off, they didn’t pay off quite as big as many media reports would indicate. More to the point, some of those deals almost certainly lost enough that after taxes and expenses, 50 isn’t left with much at all.
50 Cent Net Worth: The Full Analysis
50 Cent Earnings | |
---|---|
From music sales and YouTube | $43,110,103 |
From concerts | $74,587,500 |
From acting | $6,420,000 |
From endorsements | $52,000,000 |
From merchandise | $14,917,500 |
From business deals | $103,000,000 |
Total 50 Cent Earnings | $294,035,103 |
Adjusting the numbers above for taxes, expenses and ordinary investments puts 50 Cents 2016 net worth at $143 million, but that’s only half the story. That’s because we know from the star’s recent bankruptcy trial that his real net worth is only $16 million. So where did that $127 million go?
Related: Jay Z Net Worth
A $157 Million Loss
What all this means is that 2007 is a good starting point for figuring in 50’s losses. In order to get the rapper’s net worth down to $16 million by 2016, we had to figure on $20 million to $30 million of his money vanishing each year. The table below shows the breakdown of losses, taxes and net worth from 2009 through 2016.
50 Cent Losses by Year | ||
---|---|---|
Year | Losses | Net Worth |
2009 | $20,000,000 | $62,063,740 |
2010 | $30,000,000 | $67,718,659 |
2011 | $20,000,000 | $56,414,048 |
2012 | $20,000,000 | $45,110,703 |
2013 | $20,000,000 | $34,505,664 |
2014 | $20,000,000 | $30,262,257 |
2015 | $27,000,000 | $14,286,801 |
2016 | $0 | $17,788,143 |
Total Losses | $157,000,000 |
The exact amounts of the losses and the years are an estimate. What’s not an estimate is that the singer had to lose roughly that amount of money to get his net worth down to $16 million by 2016, considering his massive earnings in those years.
Related: Diddy Net Worth
Where Did 50 Cent’s Money Go?
There’s some evidence that this is where 50 Cent’s money went. The rapper has been quoted in the media as saying he caught the “Diddy bug” for business. Except, instead of succeeding to the tune of nearly a billion in net worth like Diddy did, 50 Cent most likely made some bad decisions. Though 50 Cent’s VitaminWater business was notoriously successful, not all 50’s business deals have gone that way. 50 Cent businesses like SMS Audio and SK Energy might be bigger money sinks than money makers for the star. His initial movie production company G-Unit has been shut down. His second movie company, Cheetah Vision, has turned out more than a dozen films, but none of them have been financially successful. 50 Cent’s G-Unit clothing line is another business that closed down, shutting its doors in 2009.
As any business owner knows, it can be very easy to lose millions in business. A clothing company that takes an initial investment of $50 million and then fails can suck down a lot of net worth. That’s especially true when the investor pumps more of his own cash into it trying to bring it back to life. 50 isn’t talking about whether that’s how he lost his millions. That said, it’s a safe bet that bad business investments are exactly where his $157 million went.