50 Cent convinced Steve Jobs to pay him $150,000 for iPod placement in P.I.M.P.

50 Cent
50 Cent (Image credit: Genius)

What you need to know

  • 50 Cent has revealed how he convinced Steve Jobs to help sell the iPod.
  • He was reportedly paid $150,000 for the privilege.
  • he says it was the first time Apple did product placement in a music video.

50 Cent has revealed how he convinced Steve Jobs to help sell the iPod with his P.I.M.P. music video.

As reported by Genius:

The video for 50 Cent's 2003 hit, "P.I.M.P.," opens with a lingering shot of the rapper using an iPod. In a recent interview with MSNBC's Ari Melber, the Queens native revealed he pitched to the idea Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and claimed he received a six-figure payout for the groundbreaking device's first product placement in a music video.

During the interview 50 spoke about how he first saw the iPod whilst meeting with Steve Jobs in Jimmy Iovine's office:

"You think you could sell an iPod? I could sell an iPod," 50 remembered telling Jobs, after learning about the gadget. "Jimmy will tell you, in that 10 minutes that I sat there, I got [Steve Jobs] to give me $150,000. [It was] the first time Apple did product placement in anything, any music video."

The iPod made an appearence in 50's P.I.M.P. music video, a cameo that netted the rapper $150,000. Not bad.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.

Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9