Long before Power became a mega-hit for Starz, 50 Cent and series creator Courtney Kemp struggled to get it on TV.
The crime drama, which was executive produced by Kemp and 50 Cent, premiered in 2014 and aired for six seasons.
But in an interview with Vulture published on June 8, the “Candy Shop” rapper revealed he heard “no” several times before Starz said “yes.”
“Initially, we pitched Power to everybody and they passed,” he explained.
Asked to elaborate on which networks passed, 50 Cent said “all of them.”
Related Story: 50 Cent Signs Deal to Develop Multiple Shows for Fox After Starz Exit
“We went through all of the premium channels,” he added. “HBO, Showtime, Paramount, Hulu. We went to all these organizations in the early stages. They probably had something else they felt was similar, or it wasn’t what they was looking for. I’m sure now they wish they didn’t pass on it.”
Despite being repeatedly rejected, 50 Cent and Kemp didn’t give up, and decided to revamp their pitch.
“I had time to reapproach the script and the project. When I was doing it, I recorded six songs because I knew the main character, Ghost, and his arc so well,” 50 Cent said. “And when we went back to reboot the pitch, we’d play a minute and 30 seconds of a song, stop, and Courtney would talk about a piece of the character. It’s so different from what they were hearing in any other pitch because you don’t have someone there as experienced or as successful in music — exclusive music that is fit for the show.”
Once they landed a TV deal, the hip-hop mogul said the money wasn’t great.
“Look, I took a major pay cut,” he explained. “I gave them the theme song for Power. I gave them the things that connected, hopefully, in a different way for it. You see what I’m saying? All those things for $17,000 per episode? I get paid more to go to the nightclub and wave. But I wanted to make the show.”
Power was one of Lionsgate-owned Starz’s most-watched shows, and spawned the spinoffs Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, and Power Book IV: Force.
But in September 2022, 50 Cent announced on social media he would not be renewing his agreement with Starz after repeated clashes. “I’m out,” he wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post.
Earlier this year, he signed a non-exclusive broadcast deal with Fox.
As part of the agreement, 50 Cent and his G-Unit Film & Television will develop scripted dramas, live-action comedies and animated series to air on the Fox network.
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