50 Cent, Bette Midler Join Forces for Garden Project

You know when you've officially crossed over from rap star to superstar when you have your own video game, peddle Vitamin Water, star in a film alongside Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, and collaborate with singer/actress/comedian Bette Midler. 50 Cent has accomplished all of the aforementioned. 50 and Midler joined forces Monday to celebrate the opening of "The Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson Community Garden" in the rapper's hometown of Queens, New York.

The 62-year-old multi-talent decided to give the rap star a call when she got the bright idea to combine the efforts of her New York Restoration Project -- which works towards making New York a cleaner, more beautiful city by revitalizing existing parks and community gardens -- and 50's G-Unity Foundation. "I called and nagged him," Midler said when describing how she got the busy rapper involved in the garden project. "His G-Unity Foundation gives a million dollars away every year in grants to non profits all over the city ... They're just brilliant." The singer went on to praise the rapper while joking about future collaborations. "I love 50!" Midler boasted. "He's producing my next record," Midler joked. "I will be rapping. He's writing a song for me right now."

soKe.flace('music-boombox.50cent.popup.searchable', '476', '600'); var uid = new Date().getTime(); var flashProxy = new FlashProxy(uid, 'http://www.aolcdn.com/_media/modtools/kit_swfpublisher_javascriptflashgateway.swf'); var flashvars = {}; try { flashvars.lcId = uid; } catch (Exc) { }; try { flashvars.outlet_w = '476'; } catch (Exc) { }; try { flashvars.outlet_h = '600'; } catch (Exc) { }; try { flashvars.targetDivId = 'music-boombox.50cent.popup.searchable'; } catch (Exc) { }; try { flashvars.targetAds = 'music-boombox.50cent.popup.searchable'; } catch (Exc) { }; try { flashvars.omniture_tracker = '0'; } catch (Exc) { }; try { flashvars.adrefresh_wrapper = '1'; } catch (Exc) { }; try { flashvars.appswfURL = soKe.fv('http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,entry&id=323091&pid=323090&uts=1225906367'); } catch (Exc) { }; if (typeof(screen_name) != 'undefined') try { flashvars.userName = screen_name; } catch (Exc) { }; var params = {}; try { params.wmode = 'opaque'; } catch (Exc) { }; try { params.quality = 'best'; } catch (Exc) { }; try { params.allowscriptaccess = 'always'; } catch (Exc) { }; var attributes = {}; try { attributes.id = 'outlet'; } catch (Exc) { }; top.exd_space.refresher.ads2Refresh(new Array( 'music-boombox.50cent.popup.searchable', new Array('93243967', '300', '250', '0') )); top.exd_space.refresher.iFrm2Refresh(new Array( 'music-boombox.50cent.popup.searchable', new Array('Placement_ID', '1368480'), new Array('Domain_ID', '1012776') )); top.exd_space.refresher.mmx('music-boombox.50cent.popup.searchable', 'http://www.aolcdn.com/_media/channels/ke_blank.html', ''); swfobject.embedSWF('http://cdn.channel.aol.com/cs_feed_v1_6/csfeedwrapper.swf', 'music-boombox.50cent.popup.searchable-swf', '476', '600', '8.0.0', 'http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/swfobject/expressinstall.swf', flashvars, params, attributes); top.exd_space.refresher.launcher( 'music-boombox.50cent.popup.searchable',{ dynamicSlide:[''], size:['476t'], photoNumber:['3'], title:['50 Cent'], numimages:['316'], baseImageURL:['http://o.aolcdn.com/feedgallery//'], imageurl:['fotosrch/0/20081103WI56104854_WI.jpg'], credit:['WireImage.com'], source:['WireImage.com'], caption:['Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson attends the opening of the Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson Community Garden on November 3, 2008 in the Jamaica neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City..Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson Community Garden Opening Celebration.Jamaica, Queens.New York, NY United States.November 3, 2008.Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage.com..To license this image (56104854), contact WireImage.com'], dims:['http://o.aolcdn.com/dims/PGMC/5/316/289/70/'], showDisclaimerText:[''], disclaimerText:[''], CSS_Title:[''], CSS_Caption:[''], CSS_Disclaimer:[''], CSS_Container:[''], CSS_Border:[''], CSS_PhotoWell:[''], CSS_photoHolder:[''], CSS_Buttons:[''], CSS_BtnOver:[''], CSS_Scroll:[''], topMargin:['56,0,316,289,428,289,0,0'] } );

The garden is located in Baisley Park in Jamaica, Queens, where the rapper grew up and often raps about. It features an array of beautiful flowers, a vegetable garden and a community area where families can unit for outdoor events. "I wish I had this to come to when I was growing up around here," he said. "The opportunity to create this garden for the youth and the community is a great one."

Filed Under: 50 Cent

Categories: Hip-Hop