“Not Bad for a kid from South Side, I’m so proud of me,” 50 Cent wrote in an Instagram post citing TMZ’s story about his unexpected windfall. Alongside emojis of a sack of money and a person holding up their hands in a “What?” pose, he added, “LOL.”
In an additional comment that could either amaze or exasperate people who would love to find a pile of money, 50 Cent added, “I’m a keep it real. I forgot I did that s***.”
TMZ reports that Animal Ambition brought the rapper around 700 bitcoins — worth several hundred thousand dollars at the time and around $7.7 million at today’s rate.
The story of 50 Cent’s bitcoin perspicacity is emerging nearly two years after the rapper filed for bankruptcy protection under his given name, Curtis Jackson. As NPR reported at the time, “He says he’s broke, but he posted Instagram photos showing piles of cash in a refrigerator.”
Back when 50 Cent released his 2014 album, bitcoin was mostly known as a “virtual currency” that was still trying to push its way into the mainstream. The game company Zynga accepted it for some purchases; so did Dell and electronics retailer Newegg — and by the end of the year, so did Microsoft.