Rapper 50 Cent Was Unsure About Working with Michael Jackson

(The Daily Telegraph) - He may have dedicated a mix tape to Michael Jackson but rapper 50 Cent says he was unsure about collaborating with the pop star.

"He [Jackson] asked for us to work together," the rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, told The Daily Telegraph.

Despite talks between both their representatives the plan never progressed.

"I was a big Michael Jackson fan but I think all artists go through phases where they're no longer as interesting as they were," he said. "Michael had already transitioned to that point prior to him passing away."

After Jackson died in June this year, 50 Cent re-titled a mix tape offered as a free download on his website thisis50.com as a tribute to the singer. He called it Forever King.

The rapper has now launched his long-awaited fourth album Before I Self Destruct, with the release date delayed for a year to allow fellow rapper Eminem to release his first album in five years, Relapse.

"Because I've been active for the last six years in a consistent way, I said, 'Look, I might as well wait and let him go first'," 50 Cent said.

Due to the delay 50 Cent returned to the studio prior to his album's release to remix tracks he felt were stale from being shelved too long. He said the album reflected on the period just after he was shot nine times in 2000 and before the success of his No.1 album Get Rich Or Die Tryin' in 2005.

"It's pieces of my experience prior to the success of Get Rich Or Die Tryin'," he said.

"There was a mood on that record about everything I experienced at that point, after I got shot."

His new album, he said, may not be as slick, but it will be far more audacious.

"It was a therapeutic process for me to reflect on my past,'' he said.

"I think it's better than Get Rich Or Die Tryin', to be honest, because it has the imperfections the average artist isn't prepared to project.''

He said he plans to include Australia in his next major tour.

"The Gold Coast is like Miami with kangaroos," he said.

"I haven't set a date for a performance but I'll definitely be going to Australia.''