Juvenile Says He Helped 50 Cent Land Deal with Eminem
Apparently, behind one of the biggest deals in hip-hop history was a little Southern hospitality. According to New Orleans legend Juvenile, he had more to do with 50 Cent’s come…
Apparently, behind one of the biggest deals in hip-hop history was a little Southern hospitality. According to New Orleans legend Juvenile, he had more to do with 50 Cent’s come up than most people realize.
In a recent interview, the “Back That Azz Up” rapper shared that he played a major part in helping 50 Cent score his career-changing deal with Eminem and Shady Records.
“I got 50 Cent his record deal with Eminem,” Juvenile said. “Ask 50, he'll tell you, yeah, Juve was the one. 50 couldn't really go to the studio at the time, and I was one of the first cats with a studio bus, so I let him record on my bus, him, [Tony] Yayo, and [Lloyd] Banks.”
A Mobile Studio and a Lucky Connection
At the time, 50 Cent was recovering from being shot nine times and struggling to find anyone in New York willing to work with him. Juvenile, already a big name thanks to Cash Money Records, offered up his mobile studio bus — a rolling creative space that became 50’s temporary recording home.
While Eminem was in the city filming a video for D12, Juvenile says he was invited to the set and decided to bring along Sha Money XL, one of 50’s early collaborators.
“When I went over there with Sha Money, my first thing was telling him the type of music Em doing and the type of music 50 doing with the diss thing [...] that's going to work if he go with him. And it worked,” Juvenile explained.
Credit Where It’s Due
Juvenile noted that 50 Cent didn’t forget his contribution to that pivotal moment. “In his book he gives me my credit. I always tell people ask 50,” he said.
That nod from 50 adds some weight to Juvenile’s story — showing how small acts of support can spark huge career shifts.
The Ripple Effect: Young Buck’s G-Unit Link
Juvenile’s behind-the-scenes influence also sheds light on how Nashville rapper Young Buck ended up in G-Unit. Before joining 50 Cent’s crew, Buck had ties to Cash Money in the late ’90s and later signed to Juvenile’s UTP label in 2000.
He released music under that label, but when Tony Yayo went to jail, Buck stepped into the G-Unit lineup and became a key voice on Beg For Mercy after first appearing on 50’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’.
From a studio bus to the Shady Records empire, Juvenile’s story adds an unexpected twist to early 2000s hip-hop history — proof that sometimes, all it takes is one artist opening their doors (or in this case, their tour bus) to change the game forever.
