By Osagie Alonge
Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic China Achebe might have not reacted when US hip hop/neo soul band The Roots names their album ‘Things Fall Apart’ back in 1999, however the author has come out to stop rapper 50 Cent from titling his forthcoming movie with the same name.
Reports say that 50 Cent real names Curtis Jackson tried getting the producers to pay Achebe who wrote the novel with the same name ‘Things Fall Apart’ in 1958, 17 years before 50 cent was born, a sum of $1M (One Million Dollars) to keep the name for the new Mario Van Peebles film, but Achebe declined.
‘The novel with the said title was initially produced in 1958 (that is 17 years before rapper 50 Cent was born), listed as the mostly read book in modern African literature, and won’t be sold for even 1 Billion Dollars’, Achebe’s reps stated in a response.
50 Cent has eventually altered the name change. The movie will now be called ‘All Things Fall Apart’ and will be opening at the Urbanworld Film Festival on September 18.
50 cent started the film production companies G-Unit Films in 2007 and Cheetah Vision in 2008.
8 comments
It’s all about manner of approach and understanding that is required here. Fiddy should follow it in a right way, it’s not all about disrespectively dangling ‘chicken feed’ in front of the living legend’s face that matters.
Yepa Papa stood on his principle. That is dignity first, money will finish but posterity will have it that Papa remained inamovible.
I love Chinua Achebe, he’s a man of his word. Legacy must stay.
50 isnt rude stop history man but that nice of chinua achebe ok
so proud of u achebe, tank xist, fiddy dint turn him in2 ja rule
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Upps! Uncle Achebe, keep it up. All we have in African cannot be taken to the western world. Pls lets keep our pride and God given tallent.
ACHEBE IS A MAN OF HONOR