50 Cent didn’t understand afrobeats – Rotimi on leaving G-Unit

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Afrobeats star Rotimi has revealed the reason behind his departure from 50 Cent’s record label, G-Unit.

In a recent interview on Adesope Live, Rotimi explained that he left the label because 50 Cent didn’t fully understand his musical style, particularly Afrobeats. At the time, Afrobeats wasn’t mainstream in the U.S., and even though artists like Davido and Wizkid had songs gaining traction in cities like Boston and New York, the genre was still under the radar in places like Los Angeles.

“I was signed to G-Unit, but in 2017/2018, Afrobeats wasn’t mainstream in the U.S.,” Rotimi said. “50 Cent and I had a conversation, and he asked, ‘What’s this sound you’re trying to do?’ I told him, ‘It’s Afrobeats.’ I explained that I had a song called ‘Love Rhythm’ that I believed would blow up, but if he didn’t get it, I’d have to look elsewhere.”

Rotimi went on to explain that due to their creative differences, 50 Cent allowed him to leave the label, and he later became the first Afrobeats artist to sign with Empire, a label that understood and supported his vision.