James Allen News Center

50 Cent, while preparing for the release of his upcoming album "Before I Self-Destruct", also created a mix of him rapping over various 1990s R&B hits.  While the original title for this was "Sincerely Yours: Southside Part 2", 50 Cent decided to change the title after the death of Michael Jackson.

Now titled "Forever King", the album is explained by 50, saying, "I changed it because of the content."  Among the songs 50 covers are Horace Brown`s "One for the Money", The Notorious B.I.G.`s "Suicidal Thoughts", Wu-Tang Clan`s "Heaterz", and Christopher Williams` "Dreamin`" .  As a tribute to the late King of Pop, 50 raps over the Michael Jackson hit "I Wanna Be Where You Are", but re-titles it "Michael Jackson Freestyle".

The cover of the collection is an image of a diamond-encrusted skull with 50`s face in it, and it is wearing a crown. 

"When Michael Jackson passed," 50 Cent explained to The Examiner, "there was a piece of artwork that had `King of Pop, King of Rap` with me and his pictures.  That`s what gave me the concept for the artwork.  There`s a real human skull that`s got diamonds embedded in it…It`s an artifact, it`s priceless.  That`s a real skull they see."

The skull to which 50 Cent refers is a piece by macabre artist Damien Hirst, who unveiled it in 2007.  It is made from a real 18th-Century human skull, and is covered entirely with 8,601 diamonds, including a large pear-shaped pink diamond in the center of the forehead.  Production of just the teeth for the piece cost about $22.7 million.  Called "For the Love of God", the piece is said by Hirst to be "uplifting, takes your breath away".  It is estimated to be worth over $80 million.  50 Cent saw a photo of the  work while in Dubai. 

Michael Jackson was a collector of odd and macabre things.  He famously tried to buy the deformed skeleton of Joseph Merrick, the "Elephant Man".  Hirst`s piece would have been a perfect addition to his collection, although Jackson came along before the era of "Bling", and his estate did not include many diamond pieces. 

However, Elizabeth Taylor, longtime friend of the late King of Pop, was a big fan of Michael Jackson diamond jewelry, receiving pieces from him on a regular basis, just because they were friends. 

50 Cent honors Michael Jackson by using a ghoulish image as a nod to Jackson`s unusual art collection, but puts his own spin on it by covering that image with diamonds.