Headlining SelectCon 2024 in Brooklyn on Oct. 24, 50 Cent participated in a panel discussion about his role in brand-building, including his involvement with Apple and the launch of the first iPod.
Steve Jobs is widely regarded as an innovator in music technology, having introduced the first iPod in 2001 at an Apple event, where he showcased its capacity for “1,000 songs in your pocket.”
Let’s Make a Deal
Apple featured it in the music video for “P.I.M.P.” by 50 Cent. The first few seconds of the music video features 50 Cent using the iPod and throughout the music.
In a conversation with Steve Stoute, CEO of UnitedMasters, 50 Cent discussed Jobs’ presence on the set of “P.I.M.P.” As part of his branding strategy, Jobs reportedly paid $150,000 to 50 Cent for product placement in the 2003 music video for his hit song. Although 50 Cent has claimed a $150,000 payout from Apple, there are other reports that it was closer to $50,000.
This is not the first time the rapper-turned-mogul has shared this story; it was featured in a 2020 article on Genius. Additionally, he discussed it a few years ago during an Instagram livestream with Ari Melber from MSNBC, who is as much a hip-hop fan as he is an avid political commentator, often blending his love for music into his show.
Jimmy Iovine, then-president of Interscope — the label that supported the careers of Dr. Dre, Eminem, and 50 Cent — who in 2008 with Dr. Dre would co-found Beats by Dre (which was acquired by Apple in 2014 for approximately $3 billion), were reportedly trying to work out a deal with Jobs over the weekend leading up to the music video.
The music video for “P.I.M.P.” was filmed in various locations, including Los Angeles, while Iovine’s office is located in Santa Monica, California.
It was only after Steve Jobs met 50 Cent that, during a ten-minute meeting in Iovine’s office, he felt assured that the iPod would be prominently featured in the Queens rapper’s music video, which included real-life pimps like Magic Don Juan, according to 50 Cent.
“‘You think you could sell an iPod?’ I could sell an iPod,” 50 Cent recalled telling Jobs after first hearing about it, as reported by Genius. “Jimmy will tell you, in that 10 minutes that I sat there, I got [Steve Jobs] to give me $150,000. [It was] the first time Apple did product placement in anything, any music video.”
Apple has had a presence in movies and music videos since the early 2000s, using this strategy to promote its user-friendly products. Notable appearances include Mac computers in Legally Blonde (2001) and an Apple PowerBook in Independence Day (1996). These came well before 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P.,” as noted by Mac Daily News.
At the time of this brief meeting, 50 Cent was unfamiliar with Steve Jobs and uninterested in Apple until he noticed Iovine’s enthusiastic reaction, which motivated him to impress Jobs.
Of the $150,000, 50 Cent received $50,000, while the remainder went to Iovine, who was stunned that 50 Cent outdid both him and Dre in sealing the deal.
The cultural impact of the first-generation iPod sparked a wave of innovation in MP3 players and paved the way for other Apple products and services, including the iPhone.
The 50 Cent product placement, a common practice in music videos, was a surprising choice, given the song’s theme and Jobs’ goal of making the iPod a user-friendly brand name.
