“In my experience, you can’t force people to work.” But, he says, he sure is glad people in the service sector are still working. But if you don’t have money to self-isolate and have to go out to work to pay the bills, surely it leaves you more exposed to catching Covid-19? Jackson is not having any of it. In New York City, Queens always becomes the worst place.” Why does he think that so many of the 63,000-plus people who have died in the US are from black and ethnic minority backgrounds? “I don’t think coronavirus is discriminating based on income. Has the pandemic affected him personally? “I know three or four people who have passed from my old neighbourhood in Queens. I know we are only talking on the phone, but … “Yeah, ’cause I’m in quarantine in the house and that doesn’t apply to quarantine.” He laughs.ĥ0 Cent, Eminem and Dr Dre in New York in 2004.
“I’m wearing an undershirt, like a white tank top, and black sweatpants.” Hold on, I say: in your book, you suggest not looking your best for somebody shows a lack of respect. “I don’t even have all my clothes on yet.” That’s exciting, I say, tell me more. When he is not boasting, bullying or dissing, much of his advice is perfectly sensible – be true to yourself, don’t make the same mistake twice and dress decently if you want to make an impression. By turns, he comes across as machiavellian (tips include pretending to drink on a night out with colleagues then exploiting the weaknesses they have drunkenly revealed), cynical (women just want him for his money), puritanical (he doesn’t drink or take drugs), little-boy-lost (desperately seeking affirmation) and wise elder (telling readers of the need to constantly evolve to stay relevant). Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter is classic Fiddy – a self-help guide for aspiring bigwigs.
Jackson has just written a very readable book about how to do things his way. Going down the hall was like walking down the street.”
You have all that space, but you still can’t walk around the house naked, ’cause you’ve got staff. “You may have 18 bedrooms, but you can only sleep on one bed. So getting that place was confirmation of success.” But he got bored. “Then I left for a tour of Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ and I came back with $38m. When he bought the Tyson house, he says, he had been struggling to pay his $800-a-month rent bill for the apartment he shared with his then-partner and his first son, Marquise. Jackson hasn’t repeated the success of his debut (although his second album, The Massacre, was also huge), but he has continued to hustle and find headline-grabbing ways of getting rich.įor Jackson, it begins and ends with the money, right down to the name, which he appropriated from a dead gangster. He was dropped by Columbia without releasing a record, signed up by Eminem and championed by Dr Dre. His drug-dealing mother, Sabrina, was murdered when he was eight (drugged and gassed at 23 by an unknown killer in her home) he started selling drugs on the streets at 12, bought his first gun at 15 and was shot nine times at the age of 25 (including a bullet through the cheek that gives him his distinctive slur today). Photograph: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images