50 Cent Making Before I Self-Destruct Movie to Accompany Albums December Release

9/23/08, 1:37 pm EST

50 Cents life is like a movie, so it makes sense that hes writing one. The rapper is working on a feature film, Before I Self-Destruct, which is based on his album of the same name. Its not Purple Rain, 50 says of the flick, which he also directed and produced. But it was inspired by the actual music. (His album is due out December 9th; 50 plans to release the movie simultaneously.)

The film which isnt autobiographical aims to show the complexities of what 50 refers to as urban life in a new way: When [movies] portray certain lifestyles they dont show cause and effect, he says. But I showed characters under pressure in scenarios where they felt like there were no other options, even though there were. He adds, There are always options. People just usually start to see them while being incarcerated for not seeing them in the first place.

As for a soundtrack, tracks from Before I Self-Destruct the album will be missing from the movie. Then Interscope would automatically have the rights to it, when they had absolutely no ownership of the actual material, says 50, who penned a separate score for the film and recruited unsigned artists to record vocals. But that doesnt mean the tunes are sub-par. I kept the music up to standards, says 50. I worked with it until it was right.