Eminem’s Shady Records mourns the loss of one of its pioneering artists this week.
Curtis Jackson, more famously known as 50 Cent, has announced his departure from Shady, as well as Interscope Records and Aftermath Entertainment in order to join Capitol Records’ independent Caroline label. 50 Cent and his G-Unit imprint’s departure comes almost five years after his last studio release, which was 2009’s gold-certified Before I Self-Destruct.
Although Jackson remains contractually obligated to release one more album via Interscope Records, he cites his strong friendship with Eminem and Dr. Dre as the main factor of his seemingly smooth exit. 50 Cent recently discussed the issue in an interview with Forbes:
“I’m a special case and situation,” said Jackson. “It’s also because of the leverage of having the strong relationships with Eminem and Dr. Dre. They don’t want me to be uncomfortable. They value our friendship to the point that they would never want [to jeopardize] it over that little bit of money.”
In a statement released by Eminem (reported by the AP), the Detroit label-executive and rapper wished 50 Cent a colleague’s farewell:
“Both myself and Shady Records are grateful to have had the chance to play a part in 50’s career. Shady simply would not be what it is without 50 Cent. I’ve developed a great friendship with 50 over the years, and that’s not going to change. We know 50 will have success in his new situation, and we remain supporters of both him and G-Unit.”
Since Jackson’s discharge from Shady, Interscope and Aftermath, the 38-year-old rapper has announced the release date of his long-awaited project Animal Ambition via Twitter, as well as unveiled a new track and video titled “The Funeral” to appear on his new album.
NEW MUSIC march 18th. Animal Ambition coming soon http://t.co/lhM84CAWwk #smsaudio
— 50cent (@50cent) February 20, 2014
Watch the video for “The Funeral” below: