Support truly
independent journalism
50 Cent has responded after a lawsuit claiming his Power franchise ripped off a former drug kingpin’s life story was dismissed.
The rapper and TV star, real name Curtis Jackson, shared the news on Instagram after New York district judge Analisa Torress dismissed Cory “Ghost” Holland’s claim against the Grammy Award-winning star.
“Fool thought he was GHOST,” Jackson said, referring to the main character in Power played by James St Patrick, a ruthless drug dealer seeking to leave the world of crime behind and pursue a legitimate business, in his hit Starz show.
“Da f*** wrong with these [ninja emoji]s man LOL,” he added.
AllHipHop reports that Judge Torres found that Jackson’s character did not directly refer to Holland, which is required in a defamation lawsuit.
Holland first filed the complaint against Jackson, show creator Courtney Kemp, network Starz and Lionsgate in 2021, accusing Kemp of ripping off his 2007 autobiographical CD, Blasphemy.
Holland claimed that he met Kemp’s father in the early Nineties so they could discuss his life story while he was attempting to leave the drug trade. At some point, he claimed Jackson must have received the CD and used his story to create Power, alleging that more than 200 scenes in the show were based on his life.
“This is not one of those lawsuits from a deranged fan or somebody trying to capitalise off someone else’s success,” he said. “This is about the actual theft of my life, and the damages that it has done as well as the profits that the defendants have made from the stealing and telling of my life story without my consent.”
Jackson’s lawyer, Joanna Hill, responded by saying that Holland “fails to state any claim upon which relief can be granted.
“More specifically, [Holland] fails to identify any defamatory statements about him in connection with the fictional television series, Power.”
The judge also threw out a $300m (£235m) lawsuit against Lionsgate, along with Holland’s complaint that Jackson turned up in his neighbourhood with a fleet of vans while blasting a threatening song, Deadline reports.
Jackson’s attorneys also reported a threatening email that was allegedly sent by Holland to Jackson and his legal team.
Power rang for six seasons between 2014 to 2020, and has since been followed by three spin-offs, Power Book II: Ghost. Power Book III, Raising Kanan, and Power Book IV: Force.
