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Key Takeaways<\/strong><\/p>\n Trending<\/strong><\/p>\n 50 Cent now owns the rights to the film Paid in Full and is producing a TV series adaptation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n Cam\u2019ron confirmed that he\u2019s executive producing the series\u2019 creation in a social media post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n Dame Dash, who co-produced the original film, publicly criticized Cam\u2019ron for collaborating with 50 Cent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n On Monday (Sept. 8), 50 Cent<\/a> revealed that he is turning the 2002 cult classic Paid in Full into a premium television series. In an Instagram post, he confirmed that he now owns the rights to the Harlem crime drama. \u201cIf you like \u2018Godfather of Harlem,\u2019 you\u2019re gonna love this,\u201d he wrote. He added that Cam\u2019ron will be executive producing the project alongside him. \u201cIf you want in, get at him. I\u2019m out of the country,\u201d 50 quipped.<\/p>\n Cam\u2019ron, who starred as Rico in the original film, responded a couple of hours later with his own statement of excitement: \u201cSo, we\u2019ve been talking about this for a few months now, and it\u2019s almost time. Thanks 50 Cent for the opportunity, my n**ga. We\u2019re gonna burn this s**t down!\u201d<\/p>\n Paid in Full was directed by Charles Stone III and produced by Roc-A-Fella Films. The movie \u2014 which also starred Wood Harris and Mekhi Phifer as Ace and Mitch, respectively \u2014 was loosely based on the lives of Harlem drug figures Azie Faison, Rich Porter, and Alpo Martinez.<\/p>\n Faison (whom Ace was based on) rose to prominence as a major cocaine wholesaler in the 1980s before surviving a near-fatal robbery in 1987 that ended his reign. Porter (connected to Phifer\u2019s Mitch) was known for his flashy lifestyle but was murdered in 1990, the same year his younger brother was kidnapped and killed in a separate tragedy tied to their family. Fictionalized as Rico in the film, Martinez worked alongside both men and was convicted of multiple murders, including Porter\u2019s, before cooperating with federal authorities. He was released in 2015 but was shot and killed<\/a> in Harlem in 2021.<\/p>\n Cam\u2019ron\u2019s portrayal of Rico in Paid in Full brought both acclaim and real-life consequences. In 2005, he was shot in Washington, D.C., years after filming a line that disparaged the city\u2019s hustlers. In a \u201cTalk With Flee<\/a>\u201d episode, the Dipset frontman spoke on how reluctant he was to perform that scene and the dangers that followed (below, about 38 minutes in).<\/p>\n The Harlem rapper also has a long history with 50 Cent. Their feud began in 2007 after a heated radio exchange, escalating with diss tracks like Cam\u2019s \u201cCurtis\u201d and 50\u2019s \u201cFuneral Music.\u201d The two later made peace in 2017, though tensions briefly resurfaced after 50 mocked Dipset\u2019s 2021 Verzuz performance. They ultimately reconciled again in 2024, even sharing a stage in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n\n
The legacy of Paid in Full and its real-life Harlem inspiration<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The relationships between Cam\u2019ron, 50 Cent, and Dame Dash<\/strong><\/h3>\n