50 Cent: The Money and the Power is an American reality competition television series created by and starring 50 Cent which follows 14 aspiring rap moguls through challenges, with the winner receiving a $100,000 investment from 50 Cent to start his or her own business venture.
It was meant to serve as a "visual companion" to 50 Cent's book The 50th Law, which he co-wrote with Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power.
The series aired in the USA on MTV from 6 November, 2008 to 22 January, 2009. There are 10 hour-long episodes in the series.
50 Cent: The Money and the Power premiered in South Africa on DStv's MTV Base channel on Thursday 7 May 2009, at 22h00. New episodes air weekly.
Synopsis
Donald Trump. Steve Jobs. Bill Gates. When it comes to hustling for money, they've got nothin' on 50 Cent.
After hustling on the streets of Queens, N.Y., the superstar rapper was discovered by Eminem and shot to fame in 2003 with his multi-platinum-selling album Get Rich or Die Tryin'.
Then, 50 Cent founded G-Unit Records, released a moneymaking semi-autobiographical film and successfully teamed up with such companies as Reebok, VitaminWater and Right Guard. In a nutshell: the man is worth millions.
Now, 50 Cent's looking to spread the love by handing over $100,000 of his hard-earned cash to someone he thinks will be the next big business mogul.
But how's he gonna find this person? Simple. He's rounding up 14 of America's most ambitious young entrepreneurs who have a track record of being smart, savvy and successful at playing the game. Let the quest for the Money and the Power begin...
After the contestants convene in New York City, they will live and work together while competing to master the business skills that took 50 Cent off the streets and made him a household name.
Each week, their drive, determination and smarts will be put to the test as 50 Cent narrows his search by quizzing the candidates' knowledge while pushing them to their limits. It's all in a day's work.
While vying for The Money and the Power, the contestants are put through physically and mentally grueling challenges, like running through the streets of Brooklyn chained together and competing in a trash-talking contest.
In the end, it comes down to street smarts vs. book smarts. And only one can prevail...
Ultimately, 50 Cent will hand over a wad of cash to the person who possesses the strongest combination of ambition, fearlessness and business flair. The money could help pave the way for the winner to become the next great business mogul, and the gesture lets 50 Cent give someone the helping hand he never had.
And it could just turn out to be his best investment yet.
You've seen how business school can get someone in the boardroom on The Apprentice. You've seen how human instincts can keep people alive on Survivor. But you've never seen just where the art of hustling can get you ... until now.
It's time to find out who's got what it takes to impress 50 Cent and walk away with the Money and the Power.