Inspired by the success of Beats by Dre headphones, 50 teamed up with Sleek Audio in 2010 to produce and market a new line of headphones called “Sleek By 50.” In his complaint, he claims that Sleek never followed through with their end of the deal, so he started his own company SMS Audio. GSB wrongly assured him that he wasn’t liable for copyright theft by launching his own competitor. They were wrong, and 50 got stuck with a massive bill.
50’s bankruptcy case stemmed in large part from his inability to repay his debts to Sleek Audio, who is now his biggest creditor; he owes them over $18 million.
Read 50 Cent’s full legal complaint here.