Hollywood’s commitment to diversity is hollow, according to rapper and television producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.
The “Power” producer says the industry’s investment in black programming fails to match its rhetoric.
'They're not screaming for diversity. Are you crazy?'
OG Hollywood
“They’re not screaming for diversity. Are you crazy?” Jackson told Andrew Schulz on his podcast “Flagrant.”
“They don’t care to see you n*****s on the TV, bro,” he laughed.
Jackson appears alongside Schulz in the new “Street Fighter” adaptation, which opened October 16. Their conversation turned to the difficulty of building a television business and the kinds of projects Hollywood is willing to finance.
Jackson argued that “white Hollywood,” which he called “the original Hollywood,” remains the industry’s most commercially successful model.
Movies starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, he said, attracted audiences across racial and national lines because they were well made and properly financed. Viewers could see themselves in the characters regardless of their own backgrounds.
Jackson pointed to Tony Montana, the Cuban refugee played by Pacino in “Scarface,” as a character whose ambition resonated with audiences far beyond his own nationality.
But Jackson also sees a business opportunity in the industry’s funding priorities: He faces fewer well-financed competitors making programming for his audience.
“If you make diversity, I’m up against not so many fabulously financed projects,” he explained.
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American stream
Jackson executive produces the “Power” franchise, which grew out of the Starz crime drama that aired from 2014 to 2020.
He said the rise of streaming services has helped create an opening for his work, with competing platforms needing shows that bring in subscribers.
“So when I come in, I’m able to to create s**t that is beyond ‘up to standard’ because of the landscape of the business. I’m coming at a time that you got streamers and apps and all of these different things.”
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Johnny Nunez/WireImage
Where is the love?
Jackson also questioned why the “Power” franchise’s popularity with black and Latino audiences had failed to translate into Emmy recognition.
“They don’t care about diversity. Trust me,” he said. “I’ve been No. 1 in African-American and Latino households for, and this s**t is crazy, like for 13 years.”
While none of the dramas he produced have won Emmys, Jackson took home a trophy for his 2022 performance in the Super Bowl halftime show.
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