50 Cent once sued Taco Bell for $4 million but you'll never believe why
Kerri-Ann Roper
Featured Image Credit: David Jones/PA Archive/PA Images
Rapper 50 Cent is no stranger to making headlines over the years.
The 49-year-old, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, is among the acts headlining this year's Trnsmt festival in Scotland, with Irish rappers Kneecap also on the line-up.
Billed as Scotland’s biggest music festival, it will take place between July 11 and 13 on Glasgow Green.
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But back in 2008, the music star, whose debut studio album, Get Rich or Die Tryin', propelled him to stardom, was in the news for another reason.
He sued American fast food chain Taco Bell in a $4 million dollar (£2 million) federal lawsuit, claiming it had used his name without his permission for an ad campaign, where it asked him to call himself 99 Cent.
The ad campaign at the time, part of Taco Bell's "Why Pay More?" campaign, which was promoting items for under a dollar, had suggested he change his name to 79 Cent, 89 Cent or 99 Cent.
According to reports, court papers at the time say the company sent a "bogus letter requesting the name change to the media but not to the rapper."
The musician's lawyer at the time was quoted as saying that 50 Cent did not learn about the letter, or that he was featured in the campaign, until he saw it in a news report.
A Taco Bell spokesman was quoted at the time as saying: "We made a good faith, charitable offer to 50 Cent to change his name to either 79, 89 or 99 Cent for one day by rapping his order at a Taco Bell, and we would have been very pleased to make the 10,000 dollar donation to the charity of his choice."
In 2009, they settled the lawsuit, but the terms of the settlement were not revealed.
The incident wasn't the first time the rapper had sued over his name or image.
In July 2007, reports say he had filed a lawsuit accusing an internet advert company of using his image without permission in a game called "Shoot the Rapper," in which the player pretends to shoot him.
Last year 50 Cent was among the stars to celebrate hip-hop mogul Dr Dre as he was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Eminem, 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg joined Dr Dre for the occasion, with his star placed next to that of long-time friend and collaborator Snoop Dogg, who performed a rap during the Los Angeles ceremony.
Dr Dre played a major part in the careers of Eminem and 50 Cent, and he brought them on stage for the 2022 Super Bowl halftime performance, alongside Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige, which later won an Emmy award.