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(By Joseph Patel)
We've already established a few things with G-Unit's recent trip to Africa. First, 50 Cent is huge down there. Not just, "Oh hey, it's 50 Cent" huge, but huge in the way that thousands of people sacrificed their regular weekly expenditures on, say, water or food, so that they could go to a concert.
Second, 50 Cent might just be bored with all his fame and wealth, enough that he was genuinely interested in learning about South Africa's struggle with Apartheid. He met with Nelson Mandela, Mandela's grandson and toured two Apartheid museums in Soweto and Johannesburg, taking it all in.
And third, I'm a lucky bastard for getting the assignment.
Now while 50's G-Unit mates Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks are, by proxy, pretty famous down there themselves, they didn't really pick up the social-consciousness vibe that 50 was feeling. Case in point, on the day we went with Curtis to the Apartheid Museum and to Nelson Mandela's house, Yayo and Banks were sleeping in.
On the third day of our trip, we followed 50 to a platinum mine in Steelpoort, South Africa, a 45-minute plane ride north of Johannesburg. 50 joked about wanting to see "where his platinum plaques" came from, but he was really there to see the working conditions of a mine he said he may or may not be investing in. OK, he won't win a spot on our "Hottest Humanitarians in the Game" roundtable — but it's something. Where were Yayo and Banks that day? They decided to take a trip to a lion park in Johannesburg with the rest of the concert production crew.
It's a tough call for a producer when you only have one camera and one cameraman (hey Nick!). Follow 50 deep into the earth or go on safari with Yayo and Banks. What'd we do? The only thing you could do: Follow 50, but give Yayo one of those hand-held Flip-Cams. Hilarity ensued!
Yayo had the camera for the entire week we were in South Africa, and while we certainly can't show you ALL the footage, there's certainly more than enough to keep you laughing. This man needs his own TV show! Enjoy ...
Yayo Meets The Hotel Guests
Arriving At The Lion Park
Yayo Wants To Play With The Lions