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50 Cent and Eminem on the Hollywood Walk of Fame 2020
Photo: Clinton Wallace / ZUMA Wire / IMAGO
Normally, artists like to take the opportunity to perform at a major international event.
But the much-criticized football World Cup in Qatar apparently found it difficult to find live acts for its opening show.
Rapper 50 Cent now says in an interview that Eminem turned down an offer of eight million US dollars.
The rapper told radio station REAL 92.3 that he had been approached about the 2022 Super Bowl.
There he was with Eminem, Dr.
Dre, Mary J. Blige and other big names in hip-hop performed at an acclaimed halftime show.
The request was about an appearance at the World Cup in Qatar.
"They had a budget of nine million dollars," 50 Cent tells the radio host.
"One would have been for me, eight for Eminem." But he allegedly refused.
»Paul Rosenberg [Eminem's manager,
ed.
Red.
] said he wouldn't do it."
Other musicians had also publicly stated in the run-up to the World Cup that they had been asked and had canceled.
Including Rod Stewart, Shakira, Dua Lipa and the Black Eyed Peas.
Qatar has been heavily criticized for its exploitation of migrant workers, lack of women's rights and treatment of people from the LGBTQ+ community.
Many artists made a political statement with their cancellation.
Actor Norman Freeman performed at the opening ceremony, as did South Korean K-pop star Jung Kook and Qatari singer Fahad Al-Kubaisi.
TV series about Eminem's »8 Mile« in the works
50 Cent also revealed in the interview that he is currently working on a television series based on the film 8 Mile.
It is about Eminem's youth and the beginning of his rap career in Detroit.
50 Cent said he plans to tell the story in more detail than was possible in the film.
Eminem knew about the project.
However, he did not give any more details.
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