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Celebrity Sightings In Los Angeles - January 30, 2020

Source: BG017/Bauer-Griffin / Getty

50 Cent is opening up about why the other members of G-Unit aren’t as successful as he is.

Back in the early ’00s, the Hip-Hop group, comprised of 50, Tony Yayo, Lloyd Banks, and Young Buck, really made their mark on the industry. They were as strong as any crew, whether we’re talking hits, lyricism, or cultural influence. As fans of the group know, Buck and 50 eventually fell out and in his latest book Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter, 50 says it became clear that he wouldn’t be doing business with Banks or Yayo in the long run either. Apparently, Banks and Yayo weren’t great at adapting as the industry evolved.

“I always felt that if I had maybe done a better job teaching Banks and Yayo how to evolve and change their habits, they each would be in better places right now,” he writes, according to Hip-Hop-N-More. “While I was out hustling (I actually hustled with his father), Banks was more content staying on his porch and watching the world from there.. Banks wanted things to come to him, as opposed to going out and getting them for himself. That’s not me trying to assassinate his character—the guy has ‘Lazy Lloyd’ tattooed on his arm. He literally wears his laziness on his sleeve.”

He gives some simple examples of some promotional ideas he ran by Banks:

“To me, one answer was to change how he interacted with the culture. That’s why years ago I told Banks to film a video of his life and post it on YouTube. Introduce people to his lifestyle. Let the camera follow him around for a while and see how he moves. Maybe something he says or does will create a spark, go viral, and then he’ll have some heat around him again,” 50 writes, adding “I’m not saying anything here I haven’t said to Banks directly. Another time I sat down with him, just when IG was starting to pop off, and tried to drop this gem on him. ‘You gotta get on Instagram,’ I encouraged him. ‘You can be a little awkward in person, so this is actually a better way for you to communicate with people. You just put pictures of what you think is cool on your page. That way you can.'”

But apparently, Banks didn’t want to take the initiative. 50 reportedly says that he refused to get on social media, citing the fact that Pac and Biggie never had to, even though 50 explained that if the late legends were alive today, they’d probably be on social media too.

“When Banks made that comment to me, I realized he’d gone as far as he could go. In fact, my exact thought was ‘This is someone I can’t invest another minute or dollar in,’ 50 wrote, adding “Age isn’t about what year you were born—it’s about how you approach the year you’re in right now. If you’re open to new experiences, willing to take chances, and curious about new topics, you’re young. Period.”

50 goes on to say that Yayo was still in to the idea of using their club appearance money to flip drugs, adding that anytime they had a problem with someone in the industry, Yayo’s response would be “Let’s just bang ’em.” 50 would of course have to explain why that wouldn’t work out for them in the long run.

According to Hip-Hop-N-More, 50 says toward the end of the chapter… “My intention was for G-Unit to be the first branches in a family tree that started with me and would go on to launch generations of rappers.” 50 reportedly added that while he birthed his sons, “they didn’t bear me any children. It all stopped with them.”