Rapper, 50 Cent's lawyers have defended his decision to flash stacks of cash on social media amid bankruptcy proceedings, claiming that his fans were poor and needed to see their idol living extravagantly.
In audio from the rapper's recent bankruptcy hearing, obtained by TMZ, his attorney can been heard trying to justify his social media strategy. According to the legal team, the Get Rich Or Die Tryin' hit maker has a reputation to maintain regardless of his financial status.
US Bankruptcy Judge Ann M Nevins was told: "If you look at Mr Jackson or any other hip hop artist, they are aspirational, they come from poverty. Many of their fans are poor. They want their favourite rapper to be rich. Money is important to them and if you look at the pre-bankruptcy persona, you look at some of the videos. Money is important."
The lawyer adds that filing for bankruptcy was not conducive to his lifestyle and presented a real challenge: "Mr Jackson does have millions of dollars in the bank. Anybody that has looked at the newly-filed monthly operating report knows that. His entities have millions of dollars, anybody that looks at the periodic report knows that."
The music mogul, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2015, days after a judge ruled that the Grammy winner must pay $5m (£3.5m) in damages to Lastonia Leviston, 36, after posting a sex tape involving her boyfriend, without her consent.
He continued: "I understand why it would inflame creditors of the estate but they are sophisticated and now appreciate that what's one person's inflammation is another's way of maximising recovery. If Mr Jackson conducted himself with more discretion, more tact he wouldn't be getting people endorsing him for high premium items, he wouldn't be getting movie parts, he wouldn't be having great roles on TV."
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