50 Cent: My flash is fake

50 Cent's bankruptcy has damaged his image.

The rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, appeared in Manhattan Supreme Court on Tuesday as part of a testimony about his wealth.

The court appearance gave a jury chance to quiz the musician about his financial situation in order to determine how much he should pay in damages to Lastonia Leviston after posting her sex tape online.

But as he spoke to the jury, 50 insisted that every aspect of his flashy lifestyle is fake.

"The hip-hop culture is aspirational," he said. "It's like music videos … you see all these fancy cars but everything goes back to the dealership."

The 40-year-old added that while his gold chain is part of his image, he doesn't own a host of variations of the accessory.

Instead, he recycles three chains by taking them to his jeweler to give them a new look. He also told the jury that instead of a designer watch, he opts for a similar, inexpensive, Casio timepiece.

50 was originally ordered to pay Lastonia $5 million after posting the explicit footage of her on YouTube.

However, he then filed for bankruptcy, claiming he is worth no more than $4.4 million in total.

On Tuesday, he revealed to the court that he has only made $4.8 million from his albums – 10 cents for each of the 48 million copies sold.

Despite the revelations about 50's financial status, the rapper was forced to tell the court about several high-profile roles he has had over the past few years that have seen him earn a hefty wage.

One such appearance saw him make a cameo in the movie Spy – for which he was paid $100,000 for one day's work.

50 also made sure he turned on the charm in court, flashing the jury big smiles. But he also admitted that his insolvency has caused issued with his image.

"Now that I've filed for bankruptcy … I'm not as cool as I was last week," he said.

50's lawyer James Renard also spoke to the jury, revealing that his client's debts mean that he has little in the way of money to his name.