Courtney Kemp says she is “completely bewildered” after 50 Cent told Variety he never wants to work with her again. The dispute has landed in public again because his remarks came while promoting Street Fighter, and her response puts the Power credit fight back at the center of the franchise’s history.
50 Cent and Courtney Kemp
50 Cent said, “Courtney [Kemp]. I don’t look forward to working with her ever again.” He also said he thinks she forgot his role in the creation of Power and responded, “I think she forgot.”
Kemp replied that she has never once understated his importance in the genesis of Power. She also said he did not write nor create the series, while calling his recollection of budgets and production requirements uninformed because he was rarely in a budget meeting.
Power in 2013
Starz picked up Power in 2013 with an eight episode order, and Kemp served as creator and showrunner while 50 Cent was an executive producer and played Kanan. The series ran for six seasons and later led to Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan and Power Book IV: Force.
50 Cent said he pitched Power to Chris Albrecht by switching back and forth between explaining the show and playing music, and said he produced eight songs for the pitch, including the theme. That history matters here because the argument is not about whether he was involved; it is about how much of the franchise’s origin each side believes the other has been willing to acknowledge.
After Power and Street Fighter
Kemp said she was completely bewildered by his need to mention her in interviews or podcasts. She added that she has completely moved on in her career and hopes the imminent success of Street Fighter allows him to do the same.
She had previously said she and 50 Cent were extremely close, and that their social media drama was just for the show. This round of comments reads less like a reset than another reminder that Power’s six-season legacy still carries business value, personal baggage and public credit disputes at the same time.
