Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter By 50 Cent
one of many, maybe millions, self-help books based on someone famous.
Typical ghostwriter + some personal stories that fit the work hard mantra, and you have your totally average NYT business bestseller ready.
At least the author read it for his audiobook version. 304 Unreal read, couldn’t put the book down. 50 is a boss 304 I would rarely be interested in a celebrity’s self help genre type book, but we’re talking about 50 here. I bought this knowing it would hold my attention, and hoping to get a few gold nuggets out of it. I got exactly that. Money well spent.
Grab the audiobook version since it’s narrated by the man himself 👌 304 I am not a huge 50 fan, by any means. I think he’s problematic but he’s very much a part of the culture. He’s one of the founding fathers of modern-day hip hop and continues to push the envelope as a creator.
This book isn’t what I was expecting. Truthfully, I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. This book is basically a ‘how to.’ 50 explains different lessons he’s learned throughout the years and how he learned them, then gives his advice on how to learn from his mistakes. He’s got good intel and is very suave in his delivery. He’s funny and the stories he tells and the look inside his life he gives you are great.
I didn’t hate this book. I didn’t love it. I think it’s interesting but I don’t think I’ll ever read it again, and I’m definitely glad I don’t own it.
There are definitely some takeaways and some great lessons in here, but nothing I feel like was something I could ONLY learn from 50 himself.
However, the ending was bad. He talked about his work in his pursuit to end world hunger and it felt very ~ cringey ~ He basically said that kids in Africa have it way worse and they still are happy so you, living in America, shouldn’t be upset about your life. And I really just think this idea of competition we’ve created in our culture of trying to see who has it worse is really gross. Your problems aren’t minimized because other people are suffering. That’s not how it works. I was disappointed with the ending for sure. 304 Overall an amazing and inspiring read. Some parts were certainly rambly and long-winded but in an anecdotal and reflective book such as this, that is only par for the course. Now, if you are willing to look past that and soak up all the valuable experience and advice he has to offer, you certainly won't be disappointed. Binged the whole book on audible in one day. Now that's saying something. Authentic and heartfelt. The cynical ones may say that he's doing it for more money and power and all that nonsense but authenticity is hard to fake and it's all that I felt throughout the course of reading this book. 304
Wow how 50 Cent surprised me with this book! It's a great book! Lots to learn and admire Curtis for and I have a new found respect for him.
He's giving a lot of life advice - hustle, be fearless, know your true friends, portraying yourself as you don't really want it or need it demeanor actually works with life work romance, learn from your losses, don't be entitled, and read a lot!
It's sad how other people treated him when he became successful, people acting entitled and seeing him for just money instead of a relationship. Especially his own son who he wanted to hep and work with but was too lazy and entitled to do anything. To the people he considered friends that back-stabbed him. To the reuniting of long lost friendships that he was disappointed in because all they wanted was a piece of the pie. It seems like a lonely life being rich and famous but there still are good people at the top. 304 Zu Beginn war ich dem Buch gegenüber etwas skeptisch, da ich mit der Hip-Hop Szene an sich nicht wirklich was anfangen kann und mich nie wirklich dafür interessiert oder damit beschäftigt habe (die Banger Songs mal außen vor gelassen). Ich kannte Curtis Jackson eigentlich nur als Rapper 50 Cent und war deswegen umso gespannter, was mich erwarten würde, denn neben der Musik ist er auch erfolgreicher Geschäftsmann.
Das Buch wurde in einem sehr eigenen Stil geschrieben (Curtis Jackson schreibt so wie er spricht, was durch die Übersetzung nicht verloren gegangen ist), wodurch er als Person deutlich authentischer rüberkam und das Buch sehr angenehm zu lesen war.
Auch die Energie, welche in Curtis Jackson steckt, wurde in seiner Schreibweise sehr deutlich und er zeigt auch überraschend offen und ehrlich seine Ängste, Schwächen und Fehler. Am beeindruckendsten finde ich, wie selbstreflektiert er ist. Er zeigt die Menetekel von anderen Leuten auf, die ebenfalls in der Hip-Hop Szene aktiv waren und beschreibt auch was diese aus seiner Sicht falsch gemacht haben bzw. was er im Umgang mit diesen falsch gemacht hat. Auch stellt er dar, warum er manche Entscheidungen so getroffen hat/ treffen musste. Vom Stil her wirkt es deswegen teilweise auch wie ein Journal, in dem er sein Leben reflektiert und kommentiert.
Insgesamt waren seine prägendsten Erlebnisse definitiv der Tod seiner Mutter, das Verhältnis zu seinem ersten Sohn und die Tatsache, dass er bereits neunmal angeschossen wurde, was er bestimmt mindestens 10-mal im Verlauf des Buches erwähnt.
„Viele Menschen denken wahrscheinlich, dass ich von Geburt an furchtlos war. Vielleicht verbreite ich eine Energie, die das suggeriert, aber es stimmt nicht. Als Kind hatte ich Angst vor der Dunkelheit. Ich hatte eine Riesenangst davor, auf der Straße getötet zu werden, und ich war wie gelähmt vor Angst, als ich zu Rappen begann, weil ich fürchtete, zu versagen. Ich habe alle Arten von Angst und Furcht durchlebt.“~Curtis Jackson (50 Cent)
Curtis Jackson weiß durch seine Erfahrung, dass die Straßen und die Geschäftswelt sehr viele Parallelen aufweisen, die man im ersten Augenblick gar nicht so richtig wahrnehmen vermag.
Beide sind vor allem sehr rücksichtslos und wettbewerbsorientiert, doch man kann beide Bereiche unter Berücksichtigung einiger Punkte dominieren:
1. Sei furchtlos
2. Entwickle das Herz eines Hustlers
3. Baue eine starke Crew auf
4. Kenne deinen Wert
5. Entwickle dich weiter oder stirb
6. Gestalte deine Wahrnehmung
7. Habe keine Angst vor dem Wettbewerb
8. Lerne aus deinen Fehlern
9. Vermeide die Anspruchsfalle
Insgesamt ein gutes Buch, welches ich auf jeden Fall empfehlen kann. Es ist ein sehr inspirierendes Buch einer polarisierenden Persönlichkeit, die im großen Ganzen aber doch deutlich ehrlicher und verletzlicher ist, als man erwarten könnte. Auch wenn man vielleicht mit Hip-Hop nicht so viel anfangen kann, ist das Buch trotzdem absolut lesenswert, da man auch mal eine andere Sichtweise auf die Dinge bekommt.
„Ich lebe am Abgrund. Ich bin nur frei, weil ich keine Angst habe. Alles, wovor ich Angst hatte, ist mir bereits zugestoßen.“~Curtis Jackson (50 Cent)304 This book was a big surprise! I did not know much about 50 Cent’s persona apart from his musical career and somewhat aggressive reputation.
Curtis Jackson (he himself accepts that there is a dual personality) talks about different lessons he learned over the years: for example how to surround yourself with positive energy, embrace the uncertainty and face your fears. The most important lesson of all is to not be entitled. You do not own anybody anything, but the opposite is also true.
His bully reputation and cutthroat vibe are in great contrast here. He seems to be a businessman first. You learn a bit more on his competitive side and his insecurities, and he does seems to admit his mistakes and reflect on them. I gained a lot of respect for him.
The Audible narration is by Curtis himself, and is highly enjoyable. Hustle harder Hustle smarter is deeply informative and personal, and gave me a lot of insight on life. I would recommend this book to everyone.
Also the fact that in Goodreads they put the name of the author as Cent, 50 is hilarious to me 304 Simply a phenomenal read. Curtis Jackson, known as 50 Cent, has worked his way up from the streets of Southside Jamaica-Queens, NY. up to boardrooms at Cable Broadcasting networks, and major television networks. He is highly intelligent, and is very good at applying the knowledge that he learns from his experiences. He gives out valuable information pertaining to health and wealth, and even tackles sensitive topics in his personal life. I loved this book from start to finish, and wouldn't be surprised if Robert Greene proofread and gave insights into this book. It is a way more informative and interesting book than 'The 50th Law', because 50 opens up to the reader in a way that we would a personal friend. He doesn't give you the 50 Cent personality. He is more Curtis Jackson, and telling you things that he would tell you when the cameras are off. 304 I love that Fofty narrated this himself! Every little black boy with a Dream NEEDS this book!!!! 304
For the first time, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson opens up about his amazing comeback—from tragic personal loss to thriving businessman and cable’s highest-paid executive—in this unique self-help guide, his first since his blockbuster New York Times bestseller The 50th Law.
In his early twenties Curtis Jackson, known as 50 Cent rose to the heights of fame and power in the cutthroat music business. A decade ago the multi-platinum selling rap artist decided to pivot. His ability to adapt to change was demonstrated when he became the executive producer and star of Power, a high-octane, gripping crime drama centered around a drug kingpin’s family. The series quickly became “appointment” television, leading to Jackson inking a four-year, $150 million contract with the Starz network—the most lucrative deal in premium cable history.
Now, in his most personal book, Jackson shakes up the self-help category with his unique, cutting-edge lessons and hard-earned advice on embracing change. Where The 50th Law tells readers “fear nothing and you shall succeed,” Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter builds on this message, combining it with Jackson’s street smarts and hard-learned corporate savvy to help readers successfully achieve their own comeback—and to learn to flow with the changes that disrupt their own lives.
Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter