50 Cent and attorney Ben Crump are on a mission to increase minority representation in America’s booming alcoholic beverage industry, because they say Black people are missing out on billions.
On June 5, both the rap star and civil rights attorney teamed up with other congressional leaders in D.C. at the Rayburn House Office Building.
Fighting For Black-Owned Companies
The plan was to brainstorm in hopes of combating corporate America’s practice of distancing from Black-owned companies, exacerbating the wealth gap.
Crump says 50 has displayed the kind of business acumen in his rap and TV careers that will open doors for Black entrepreneurs — a motion that’s translated to 50’s successful Sire Spirits company as well.
50’s Le Chemin du Roi Brut champagne won the grand champion Best of Show award at a 2023 Houston competition.
In a post on Instagram, 50 Cent indicated that he was inspired to go ahead with these talks thanks to his ongoing legal issues with Suntory Global Spirits (formerly Beam Suntory), whom he accused of embezzlement earlier this year.
“I’m off to DC to talk to the Congressional Black Caucus about how @suntoryglobalspirits has damaged my business,” wrote Fif on Instagram alongside a screenshot of a TMZ headline.
In a second post, he shared an AI-generated image of him and Crump on the White House south lawn speaking to an audience. “You can change your name from @beamsuntory to @suntoryglobalspirits but you still robbed him,” he wrote. “I just want mine. Tell your friends in your DISCUS meeting, you haven’t been under compliance at all.”
In a statement, Crump said that he’s happy to be on 50 Cent’s side.
“I am pleased to join the legal team representing Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson, as he is one of the most successful Black entrepreneurs in America, and even he is not immune to the biased treatment that faces minority business owners every day,” Crump wrote.
He continued, “He has been relentless in his fight to seek fairness and justice over the way he was treated by a corporate giant in the luxury spirits industry. Mr. Jackson’s journey has been a testament to how much a determined individual can succeed through hard work and vision, and yet he still must contend with the oppression that comes from being a minority business owner.”
While also on Capital Hill, 50 also seemed to be stumping for Donald Trump, as he did in 2020. He told reporters he sees Black men “identifying with” Trump, a convicted felon who is still under indictment. When asked by CBS News about which way he’s leaning in the presidential election, 50 did say he hadn’t made a decision but pointed out that he thinks for some Black male vote, Trump’s legal problems have made him appealing as a candidate.