Friday, Sep. 17, 2010
50 Cent's Vitaminwater
Just because 50 Cent survived nine bullet wounds doesn't mean he's the healthiest man. So why did the former drug dealer turned gangsta rapper suddenly start hocking Vitaminwater? Maybe because 50 Cent isn't a rap star so much as a rap mogul. Through his G-Unit record label and entertainment venture, 50 has dabbled in everything from books to clothes to ringtones. And when he agreed to add his name to Vitaminwater's grape-flavored Formula 50 drink, he received a 10% stake in its parent company, Glacéau. When Coca-Cola bought the company in 2007, Forbes magazine estimated his after-tax cut as $100 million. (Oh, and by the way, Vitaminwater isn't all that healthy. It's mostly just flavored sugar water.)