The $76M Bitcoin Gamble: How 50 Cent's Forgotten Album Deal Turned Into a Crypto Jackpot

Back in 2014, rapper 50 Cent did something wild—he accepted 700 BTC as payment for his album Animal Ambition instead of cash. At the time, Bitcoin was trading around $650, so that stack was worth roughly $455,000. Pretty nice payday, right?

Here’s where it gets crazy: he forgot about it.

Yeah, you read that right. Those 700 coins just sat in his wallet while the crypto world went through every boom-and-bust cycle imaginable. Fast forward to today, with Bitcoin now trading above $100,000 per coin, and suddenly 50 Cent’s “forgotten” album payment is worth nearly $76 million.

That’s a 167x return in a single digital asset over roughly a decade. For context:

• 2014 value: $455,000
• 2025 value: $76,000,000+

What makes this even more interesting is the timing of the rediscovery. 50 Cent didn’t become a Bitcoin maximalist or crypto evangelist—he just accepted an alternative payment method when the artist was exploring new experimental deals. Fast forward through bear markets, regulatory FUD, and multiple boom cycles, and his biggest W might just be the one he forgot about.

It’s a reminder that sometimes the most profitable investments are the ones you accidentally make and then leave alone.