SOHH Squad
G-Unit head 50 Cent is making more than music these days after hooking up with technology company Intel to enhance his popular SMS Audio headphones brand.
According to reports, Curtis Jackson will rely on Intel to design a collection of exercise-themed headphones.
Jackson’s consumer electronics company, SMS Audio, said Thursday that it will use Intel technology to power the BioSport In-Ear headphones, which will have heart-rate monitoring sensors embedded in the earbuds. The headphones will cost less than $150 and could be popular with both “casual workout enthusiasts and professional athletes,” said SMS Audio President Brian Nohe during a teleconference with reporters. (SF Gate)
Back in June, 50 spoke on being motivated by the multi-billion dollar Apple purchase of Beats Electronics.
“The success of Beats is great for us. It makes the category understand how valuable our association is to that company,” he said. “When they see the company, and see that it sold for $3.1 billion, they go: ‘That one is definitely next, that’s the one that has the cool factor connected to it while producing quality products.’ “If there’s another company that does it, it’ll be SMS,” he said. “So it’s like when you’re playing basketball in the park: We got next.” (ABC 13)
In March, Fif said too much emphasis on Interscope placing its focus on marketing around Beats By Dre left a bad taste in his mouth.
“Not that there wasn’t a whole lot of support, but just an actual fear factor created from the aura of respect that Jimmy[Iovine] has within the Interscope system,” Fif began to explain. “When you see Interscope turn into Beats Records, where everyone that you see is actually marketing Beats headphones — you don’t even see a music video without Beats headphones in it.” (MTV)
A few days prior, 50 revealed Interscope hit him with various restrictions after the launch of his SMS Audio headphones line in 2010.
“Interscope is Beats Records,” 50 Cent told FORBES. “There’s no artist that has a marketing budget supporting what they’re actually doing that doesn’t have Beats headphones in the actual visual to support that brand, that company. So when I invested in SMS Audio, it kind of made people afraid.” In particular, 50 Cent recalls not being allowed to display his own SMS headphones shooting the video for “My Life.” At one point, he wore a hat with the SMS logo on it; the letters were blurred out in the final edit. (Forbes)
