It was part ceremony, part revival, part pep rally, and part hype.

 

But most of all, Thursday afternoon’s surprisingly short 20-minute event which began right on time in front of Government Plaza in downtown Shreveport, was full of hope.

 

“It’s only God who can do something like this,” proclaimed the preacher, who finished leading the crowd in prayer with the words “Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah and Glory!”

 

“Something like this” was the presence and promised impact of acclaimed rapper, actor, television producer, and businessman Curtis Jackson, known by his millions of fans as “50 Cent”. Late last year, Jackson agreed to lease from the City the former Millennium Studios, and bring much of his production work to town, while proclaiming “All Roads Lead to Shreveport.”

 

After months of rumored sightings and clandestine pictures shared on social media, Jackson — with a large cross necklace hanging from his neck and wearing a black and white striped jacket, black T-shirt,  black pants, and black sneakers, stood before hundreds of adoring fans. Many wore shirts and held signs expressing their love for the guest of honor. Jackson’s admirers pressed against gray metal barricades and lined several rows deep into Travis Street.

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many people downtown, even at the (Red River) Revel,” said councilman Grayson Boucher.

 

Marching bands and dancers from Booker T. Washington and Huntington High Schools strutted their stuff on the closed roadway and the sidewalk next to the makeshift stage. Each councilperson spoke their minute in the spotlight, and Mayor Tom Arceneaux gave his first Key to the City since taking office more than a year ago. The mayor proclaimed April 18 as “Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson Day” and read a resolution from the Louisiana House of Representatives recognizing Jackson for what he is doing to revitalize Shreveport’s film industry.

 

“It really feels great,” Jackson told reporters of his warm welcome. “I like it better than South Jamaica (a rough and tumble neighborhood in Queens, New York, where Jackson was born). I do. It feels amazing to have that many people who have open arms to you. At this point, I’m more conscious of my legacy than my career. I’ve done enough. I’ve got enough things done to be confident in myself that way.”  

 

Jackson rose to fame — “I’ve already earned enough to not have a problem until I die” — in 2003, with his album Get Rich or Die Tryin’. That year, it was the biggest selling album in the United States, and later certified platinum nine times.

 

In the following years, Jackson showcased his talents well-beyond music. Among his successful ventures, Jackson founded G-Unit Studios. In its new Shreveport home, production of non-scripted projects will start in July, and scripted projects will be produced beginning next January.

 

“Bringing G-Unit Studios to Shreveport is more than a business decision. It’s a commitment to foster talent, create opportunities, and to invest in the community to be able to build what I will need to execute what I have going with G-Unit Studios. It’s going to create a lot of jobs.”

 

That last part brought applause from people like Yolanda Barnes, who arrived two hours ahead of the 4 p.m. event and held an umbrella over her head, providing shade from the 84-degree temperature.

 

“I am more than ecstatic to see what’s happening in Shreveport,” Barnes, who moved here eight years ago from Illinois, told the Shreveport-Bossier Journal. “I’m not originally from Shreveport, but I know this is something of a game changer. I’ve been here for a couple of hours and I don’t mind.”

 

Jackson plans to follow in the footsteps — and walk ahead — of another actor who has brought major productions to a southern city.

 

“It’s an opportunity for me to do some things — you’ve seen the things Tyler Perry has done in Atlanta. You will see that mirrored to a degree. A lot of the material I’ve created is premium television. They are bigger productions financially. There’s more money being put into those projects than what Tyler Perry’s budgets are, so you will see me able to do things at a different rate.”

 

Thursday’s event brought out some people who want to take advantage of the opportunities Jackson said he will provide.

 

“I’m hoping this nice lady in the media is going to hand him my envelope that has my poems and my pictures, and a letter of introduction,” Jean Moore told the Journal. “I thought the mayor might, but since the mayor wasn’t upstairs, and they wouldn’t take my delivery, I wasn’t able to hand it to the mayor to hand to (Jackson).”

 

After his press conference, in an exclusive interview with the Journal, Jackson shared that he was aware of Millennium Studios, which opened in 2011 and has been dark since 2016, long before he had an interest in leasing the facility.

 

“I was friends with the owner the first time, Avi Lerner. I worked with him on the last Expendables. He financed that movie. I’ve known him for about 20 years. I was able to get information about the experience with Millennium before I even got here. I was told, ‘This is what happened and it was working, then this changed, and that happened, so if you’re going to do it, do this.’ So, I had a little inside insight on why it would be helpful to expand G-Unit to here.”

 

To the surprise of his publicist, Jackson prematurely announced his first big event in Shreveport will be Humor & Harmony Weekend, August 8-12. Jackson said there will be a comedy show, and rhythm and blues music. He said big name entertainers like Katt Williams, Mary J. Blige, and Da Baby will perform. As an example of the economic impact Jackson can have on the area, Jackson said there’s a possibility he will rent out three downtown casino hotels for the event.

 

And Jackson said he has already bought five buildings in Shreveport, including three downtown.

 

“The renovating of things will start right away, all utilizing Shreveport companies to do these things,” Jackson said. Afterwards, his publicist clarified that the companies involved are “Louisiana companies.”

 

Jackson plans on putting his money where his mouth is, and buy a home here. 

 

“I’m just trying not to buy a monster of a house that I’m not using. I would rather buy something that I could really use. Whenever you’re in a house and you look down the hall and you don’t want to go down it, it’s a sign that the home is too big.”

 

As the clock struck 5, downtown was much less populated than just an hour prior. But the space still resonated with hope.

 

“Betting on me is not a gamble,” Jackson said confidently. “It’s a sure thing.”

 

Contact Tony at SBJTonyT@gmail.com.