Rapper-producer-actor 50 Cent (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
It seemed destined at the time. His moniker is 50 Cent. The address is 50 Poplar Hill Drive. The colossal house is 50,000 square feet. It boasts 50+ rooms. The numbers all added up.
50 Cent’s home had 52 rooms, spanning 50,000 square feet.
Courtesy of Douglas Elliman
Massive great room
Courtesy of Douglas Elliman
Until they didn’t. After more than a decade, rapper-actor-TV producer 50 Cent finally sold his suburban Connecticut mansion (a monument of success, excess and regress) at a loss for $2.9 million—84% less than his initial ask, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Gorgeous grand piano
Courtesy of Douglas Elliman
Decadent living room
Courtesy of Douglas Elliman
The hip hop superstar (birth name Curtis Jackson) doggedly pursued the sale of his decadent Farmington home, as it languished on and off the market for 12 years—especially during his highly publicized Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing years ago.
Cathedral-like marble skylight
Courtesy of Douglas Elliman
Marble-floored living library
Courtesy of Douglas Elliman
The Grammy Award winner bought the home from the ex-wife of former champion boxer Mike Tyson for $4.1 million (still a town record) in 2003, following his tour de force album Get Rich or Die Tryin’. Tyson’s pet Bengal tiger wasn’t included in the deal but a real estate Hangover was.
Master bedroom
Courtesy of Douglas Elliman
Fiddy’s customized walk-in closet
Courtesy of Douglas Elliman
Unfortunately for 50 Cent, the home’s value did not appreciate. In 2007, it listed for $18.5 million. By 2018, the price was slashed to just under $5 million, even listing with Million Dollar Listing New York’s celebrity agent Fredrik Eklund. It made an appearance on the rental market for $100,000 per month as well.
Opulent kitchen
Courtesy of Douglas Elliman
Ornate bathroom
Courtesy of Douglas Elliman
This isn’t what 50 Cent had in mind when he rapped on “Get Low.” This house was a harder sell than “Candy Shop.” Was the 52-room mansion’s sale jinxed by its infamous reputation? Maybe. Were the stripper pole stage and monumental cathedral skylight excessive? Yes. Was the marbleized mansion too customized to the rapper’s extravagant taste? Definitely. But truth is, the notorious mega-mansion was controversial before “Fiddy” ever crossed the threshold—cited in the Hartford Courant as “the most notorious house in Connecticut.”
Grotto pool
Courtesy of Douglas Elliman
Home theater
Courtesy of Douglas Elliman
The enormous estate was built in 1985 for Benjamin Sisti, a former partner of the Colonial Realty Co. which was tied to a fraud case. At the time, the mansion was viewed as a monstrosity—five times as large as the next house in Farmington.
Casino room
Courtesy of Douglas Elliman
Billiards room
Courtesy of Douglas Elliman
“It’s the largest house in the northeast,” says Douglas Elliman’s Jennifer Leahy, who brokered the deal. “There is a full state-of-the art night club with a casino room, two-billiards room, basketball court, recording studio and indoor pool. Outside there is a pool and grotto, a full basketball court, a pond fully stocked with koi, and pond house plus a helipad.”
Racquetball court
Courtesy of Douglas Elliman
Night club (minus the rumored stripper poles)
Courtesy of Douglas Elliman
According to reports, 50 Cent invested at least $6 million renovating the 25-bedroom, 19-bathroom mansion. Keep in mind, he’s single—though he does have scores of famous friends. Over the years, various listings have hyped the home theater, “G-Unit” conference room, infinity pool, racquetball court, sauna, and the disco where the rapper threw provocative parties “In Da Club”. The 17-acre grounds also offer a mountain views, guesthouses and landscaped gardens.
50 Cent (nee Curtis Jackson) finally sold his Connecticut mansion after 12 challenging years. (Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images)
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Despite taking a loss, 50 Cent is okay. While his “Piggy Bank” isn’t as full as it once was, the prolific entertainer still lives comfortably with a lucrative back music catalog and a successful career as a writer, producer and actor on Starz’s crime drama series Power. As a boss, power is something he’s familiar with, with or without his Farmington mansion. He never lost that.