50 Cent Screened 'Before I Self Destruct' For His Old Neighborhood
50 Cent wanted to know what people from his hometown thought of his new movie, "Before I Self Destruct," so he held a private viewing.
"I screened this film for 75 people from my neighborhood," 50 Cent explained in an exclusive interview with Yahoo! Music. "This is probably the first and last time this will be played for people who are willing to be Clarence."
Clarence is the lead character in the 90-minute straight to DVD movie that will be packaged with 50 Cent's new album of the same name and released on November 24. 50 Cent plays Clarence in the film which he also wrote and directed.
Clarence is an aspiring basketball star who is forced to put his hoop dreams on hold and to take a job as a grocery store stock clerk.
When Clarence's mother is murdered, he takes on the
responsibility of caring for his little brother while also seeking revenge on
the person behind his family's tragedy.
50 Cent managed to humanize Clarence, who becomes a hitman when he is offered $25,000 to take someone's life. Clarence took on the offer as a means to care for his brother.
"Where I come from, they would take it, and do it," 50 said, describing the reaction from the attendants at the special screening. "It would cost less. [Twenty-five thousand dollars] is actually expensive. For $5,000 they would do it. The guy who shot me only got $5,000."
50 wanted to tell the story of a person who hits a low and falls into a self-destructive path. "I wrote a screenplay that would actually show someone regressing to the point that nothing matters," 50 said.
50 stressed that Clarence is not Curtis Jackson, his real life persona. But he wrote the movie after listening to tracks he had already recorded for the accompanying album.
"It all came from one experience," 50 said, explaining the
connection between the music and the film. "The main character has the biggest
loss that I've had in my life which is my mom. But this story is not about
Curtis or 50 Cent."
Next week, 50 Cent will premiere the video for the song "Baby By Me." Former Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland plays 50's love interest in the video.
