50 Cent is getting in on the bullying game. No, the brawny rhymer/actor with a reputation for starting beef with his fellow MCs is not going in on another of his rap peers, he's branching out and adding another book to his résumé titled "Playground."
Unlike his previous literary efforts — which focus on his life story and the rules of power — this time he's aiming at a teen audience with a semi-autobiographical novel about bullying. According to a statement from the book's publisher, the first-person novel is slated for release in January 2012 and will tell the story of a 13-year-old schoolyard bully "who finds redemption as he faces what he's done."
50's latest book will follow his best-selling 2005 printed debut, "From Pieces to Weight," an autobiography that told his gritty tale of rising from street-level drug dealing to multiplatinum superstardom, and 2008's "The 50th Law," a book about success written with "The 48 Laws of Power" author Robert Greene.
"I had a strong desire to write 'Playground' because I wanted to explore how a kid becomes a bully," 50 said in a statement announcing the book. "I drew on events from my own childhood and adolescence, but was excited to see the story take on its own life. This book would have been very helpful for me growing up and now that I have a teenage son, it is my goal that this will have a positive influence on all teenagers."
Though his statement alludes to his own experience with bullying as a teen, 50 has a well-established reputation as an adult for starting beef with other rappers, including Ja Rule, Shyne, Fat Joe and even his rumored ex, Ciara, sometimes resorting to bully-type tactics to get his point across. In 2009, he took aim at DJ Khaled by making a video in which he appeared to secretly film the producer's mother, which occurred at the same time that he was feuding with Rick Ross, threatening to release a book by the mother of Ross' son and posting pictures of himself with a woman who was involved in a paternity case with Ross.
He even appeared to take shots at his own label, Interscope, recently, making good on a threat to release his new single, "Outlaw," independently after failing to reach an agreement about when the new tune would hit airwaves.
What do you think of 50 writing a book for teens about bullying? Tell us in the comments!