50 Cent Clues In, Donates Gadhafi Money to Charity

Hip-hopster joins an ever-growing list of hitmakers caught taking money from the Libyan strongman's family

By Josh Grossberg Mar 09, 2011 6:15 PMTags
50 CentAngela Weiss/Getty Images

Here's a club 50 Cent wisely dropped out of.

Following in the footsteps of fellow artists including Mariah Carey, Usher, Beyoncé and Nelly Furtado, the rapper-actor is donating to charity money he earned to perform for the clan of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

Better late than never.

In a statement to E! News, 50 Cent's camp says that instead of lining his pockets with the dictator's dollars, the cash will now instead go to UNICEF to aid in that organization's relief efforts in Libya.

"In light of the ongoing events in Libya, 50 Cent will be making a donation to UNICEF, which is providing vital relief supplies to meet the needs of women and children at risk during this crisis," said a rep for the emcee.

Fiddy, who also gives charitable grants through his G-Unity Foundation, is taking heat for a private concert he headlined at the 2005 Venice Film Festival. The event was organized by family members of Gadhafi.

With news of the bloody revolt in Libya, 50 Cent and other music superstars garnered embarrassing headlines when the New York Times revealed that Gadhafi's relatives paid them each six- and seven-figure fees for their services.

Last week, Beyoncé said she unknowingly sang at a 2009 New Year's Eve party in St. Barts organized by the clan but took responsibility for it and donated her $1 million fee to earthquake relief efforts in Haiti last year after learning of the connection.

A "troubled" Usher meanwhile expressed regret for his appearance at the same St. Barts bash and promised to donate his paycheck to Amnesty International. Furtado, who took $1 million for a private performance in 2007, vowed to donate hers to charity as well.

Last but not least, Carey, who performed for the Gadhafis in St. Barts in 2010, said she planned to donate proceeds from a future single off her new album to organizations raising awareness about human rights.