Backstage Pass

    His first album "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" arrived in 2003, amid tales of his hard-luck past in Jamaica, Queens, and his miracle survival after being shot nine times. His second album "The Massacre" was released in 2005 amid a firestorm of controversy, including a high-profile beef with his one-time G-Unit protégé The Game that ended with a member of Game's entourage getting shot outside of Hot 97.
    Yeah, that move raised his negatives among a certain segment of the population, but like presidential candidates pandering in the primaries, Fitty knew it would also energize his base.
    He also knew that wouldn't fly this time around. His audience has changed. He's mainstream now. He's hawking Vitamin Water and planning to write children's books, in addition to the G-Unit clothing line, the street lit publishing, not to mention his movie career and writing and production duties. Dude's even been on "The View."
    And he knows beefing doesn't work now, especially in these post-Imus, hypercritical, Oprah-Town-Hall, hip-hop-under-a-microscope days. He has worked to soften his persona - working with Justin Timberlake (on the current single "Ayo Technology") and R&B crooner Robin Thicke on "Curtis," cooing along with singer Ciara on her new single.
    Fitty needed something different and, hence, The Bet was born.
    It's a pretty smart strategy. It takes advantage of a general misunderstanding of hip-hop by those outside of the industry. Yes, 50 Cent and Kanye West are both rappers, but there's a world of difference between them - like the release of a multi-plex blockbuster and an indie, art house film.
    They do different things and they work together. They even shared the Madison Square Garden stage together last month at Screamfest, alongside Diddy and Jay-Z, putting to rest whatever doubts that The Bet had anything to do with an actual beef rather than savvy marketing.
    "The perception is that Kanye West is exactly the opposite of 50 Cent," Fitty says. "His new record is saying, 'As soon as I get my money right,' while my record is saying, 'I get money.'"
    And for 50 Cent, the almighty dollar is serious business.
    "I'm arguably the biggest rapper on the planet - outside of Eminem, because Eminem generates a lot of interest and he's like King Kong, I ain't even gonna front," he says. "He's the biggest, but he's not active and because of that, I fall into that spot. A lot of the reason that people feel like I'm in constant friction, in constant competition is artists, given the competitive nature of hip-hop, won't allow you to just be in that top position."
    When asked what he thinks about country singer Kenny Chesney's assertion in Entertainment Weekly that his album "Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates" (BNA), also due out on Sept. 11, could sneak in and win the week, 50 Cent laughs.
    "Who?" he quips. "He's out of his mind."
    (A bit of first-week sales math may be helpful. Though 50 Cent's last album "The Massacre" sold 1.1 million in its first week and West's "Late Registration" opened with 860,000 copies sold, hip-hop sales have been more severely hurt by piracy and Internet downloading than other genres, especially country, cutting first-week sales for some artists by up to half. Chesney's last album "The Road and the Radio" opened with 469,000 sales in 2005, meaning major growth in his fanbase, which has packing stadiums to see him all summer long, could make this a horse race.)
At first, Fitty goes for a subtle put down of Chesney.
    "You know how it is in the country," he says. "You don't get a chance to see everything."
    But after a pause, he reconsiders, saying, "I can't fault him for saying that. He's smart for even putting himself in that equation, isn't he?"
    After all, if there's one thing a savvy marketer recognizes, it's savvy marketing.