When you’ve sold 30+ million albums worldwide, won 3 Emmys, a Grammy, 13 Billboard Music Awards, 3 American Music Awards, are one of the best-selling rappers of all-time, and you still have time to produce four platinum albums like Curtis Jackson, it’s safe to say that 50 Cent is officially “the man.” So much so, that he’s been named the 2022 Grand Marshal for the 73rd annual H-E-B Thanksgiving Day Parade. He will join Mayor Sylvester Turner in leading the parade on the iconic Tom Turkey float.
Congratulations, @50cent, on a well-deserved honor! Thank you for helping the youth in our great city!
— Samir Becic (@SamirBecic) November 16, 2022
Since moving to Houston, 50 cent has made waves as a resident. He has been heavily involved in developing leadership skills for young people in Houston, as well as supporting the NAACP Toy Drive, Houston’s Christmas Eve Super Feast, the Houston Symphony, and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
50 cent’s G-Unity Foundation has launched a program to teach Houston Independent School District’s Kashmere, Worthing and Wheatley high schools the core business values of leadership, teamwork and innovation — skills that will help them become entrepreneurs. The G-Unity Business Lab in partnership with Horizon United offers students practical experience by way of input from area business leaders, corporations, and visiting professors, including Jackson. In 2021, G Unity Foundation donated $300,000 to the program, which HISD matched for a total of $600,000.
Mayor Sylvester Turner said that G-Unity’s high school business incubator provides MBA-level instruction, where high school scholars will learn the ins out and outs of running a business, including creating a business plan. “A quality education is the best we can give young people to help them succeed in the classroom and their future professional careers,” Turner said, “[50 Cent] is interested in investing in this city, creating jobs, and supporting young people. In a short amount of time, [he] has made his presence known in Houston.”
The G-Unity Business Lab program includes:
- A 28-week business and entrepreneurial Internship Program
- After-school labs day twice a week for 2-hours each
- Introduction to foundational business methods and principals
- On-site classes at Kashmere, Wheatley, Worthing, Yates, B.T. Washington and Madison
- Opportunities for students to present to and get feedback on their business ideas from local business owners
- A chance for students to win seed funding to start their own business
We look forward to watching 2022’s Grand Marshal, 50 cent, at Houston’s Thanksgiving Day parade downtown this year!
