After a visit to Africa earlier this month, 50 Cent had a chance to get a firsthand glimpse of the positive effect that his Street King Energy Drink is having on the continent. The rapper was initially inspire to help end world hunger after he made a visit to South Africa during the World Cup, and his most recent trip took him to Kenya and Somalia which are both recovering from a draught that affected millions of people.
Fif’s earlier trips to the continent couldn’t prepare him for what he witnessed during his recent visit and the rapper said that he’s walked away with a deeper understanding of the conditions that individuals in famine ridden countries live in. “It enlightened me in different ways. To actually see people under the circumstances that I saw was a totally different experience. I don’t think you can prepare yourself for that, no matter how many times you’ve seen the images,” 50 Cent told the Associated Press.
In spite of the ongoing threat of starvation, Fif found the children he encountered optimistic and undaunted by the impoverished conditions that they struggle with every day, and said their attitude only strengthened his resolve to feed the world’s hungry. “They have one meal a day, the same meal every day. There’s nothing there — within their eyes and the way that they interacted with each other — that would indicate that they feel deprived in any way. They are the exact kids that you would see here, and that was so confusing. It made you want to pick them up and take them home with you, but you can’t. … So you have to do something that makes a difference,” said 50 Cent.
50 Cent is currently gearing up for the release of his fifth studio album and his experiences in Africa may influence the record, although the rapper says that any lyrics which speak to his recent trip will be layered with meaning. “I’ve put portions of my experience there in the actual songs, but it’s so small that they’ll have to listen to get it. I wanted to keep the record, creatively, in a space where when people listen to it, they just enjoy it before they can really understand what it was I’m saying; there’s things on it that have double meanings,” said Fif.
50 Cent’s trip was part of a collaboration between Street King and the World Food Program which have partnered to provide meals to the hungry. The rapper launched the energy drink last fall with the goal of feeding 1 billion hungry children over the next five years, and since the products launch he’s pulled in 3.5 million meals.
