Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson III has never been the type to dial down his commentary. If he has something to say, you can be sure that he’s going to say it. Now the controversial rapper has made it clear that if there’s anybody who is up to task of saving Top Gear from its recent run of mediocrity, it’s him.
Speaking with The Daily Star, Jackson was his usual candid self when the topic of Top Gear was broached. Apparently, he thinks that he could save the show from its current malaise and restore its enormous popularity…for a price. Jackson added that his credentials speak for themselves since he’s owned his fair share of exotic cars over the years, even boasting that his car collection “is as good as anybody’s out there.”
While it’s hard to argue against his collection – the man has had some interesting wheels over the past years – it takes more than a fancy car collection to be qualified in hosting a show like Top Gear. Look no further than Chris Evans himself. He owns some of the nicest and most expensive cars in the world, yet he flamed out as the lead host of Top Gear and is the largely blamed, fairly or unfairly, for the show’s disappointing quality.
Jackson did prove his knowledge of Top Gear when he waxed nostalgic on what has become of the show. “The show since the old team left has been unrecognizable," he said before adding "if it get back to where it should be soon, then it may never recover.”
Hard to argue against that point.
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I’m not going to be the person who dismisses 50 Cent’s knowledge of cars. I’m sure he knows his stuff, at least more than most people do. But as far as being “the savior” of Continue after the jump to read the full story. I’m holding my reservations on that. I’m not outwardly dismissing it; I just don’t think Fiddy knows how hard it is to be original, funny, and informative at the same time without looking like an imitation of Jeremy Clarkson. That’s really one of the reasons why Chris Evans failed at Top Gear. He tried to be like Jeremy Clarkson but what he failed to immediately realize was that a lot of the dedicated viewers of Top Gear were smart enough to see what Evans was doing.
Having a guy like 50 Cent on board would definitely bring some buzz back to Top Gear. Some part of me even wants to see what would happen if Jackson and Matt LeBlanc begin trading some barbs about the merits and demerits of driving a bullet-proof car. Ultimately, it’s the BBC’s decision to take up Jackson’s offer. I’m not going to be holding my breath though seeing as the network has made it clear that it’s proceeding with its current lineup of hosts sans Evans to see if they can pick up the pieces and restore some shine back into the show.
That said, it’s nice to see Jackson make his opinions about the show. He may be controversial at times, but he did speak the truth when he said that a lot is riding on the next season of Top Gear. If it fails once again, it may never recover.