Down/Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo interviews 50 Cent on boxing/music

In an unlikely clash of music worlds, Down frontman Phil Anselmo recently caught up with hip-hop heavyweight 50 Cent for a chat about music and boxing among other things.

While Anselmo claims he “had no clue who (50 Cent) was” prior to the interview, it’s an interesting read nevertheless with 50 Cent (real name Curtis James Jackson III) opening up about Michael Jackson being an early music idol, amateur boxing and building a successful career.

Below is a brief excerpt:

Phil Anselmo: You are successful businessman, and musician… which do you consider yourself more of?

50-Cent: “Well without music I wouldn’t have the ability to be in business. The opportunity to be in business came with the finances from music and the notoriety that comes with being successful as an artist. So I see myself as an artist first, but I’m absolutely conscious of business. Technology changes the actual way people consume music, meaning they’re buying the download as opposed to going to the store to buy the physical CD’s. About 70% of today’s music sales are bought online.

I see record companies shift also, because they’re not making the $19.99 per disc that they’re selling the full-length CD for because it’s $7.99 now online and the $4.99 or $6.99 they’d sell a single for, is now $.99. So you have to match-up with the timelines of major corporations’ launching campaigns the artist can be connected to, so it creates that strong visibility that was once provided by the actual record company in marketing monies. Now, it’s a collaboration between major corporations and the company themselves.

Meaning, now the mainstream artist has become a complete marketing vehicle.

In my new music video featuring Eminem and Adam Levine called “My Life”, if you look close, there’s a Chrysler in the video that isn’t even on the market yet, so Chrysler provides marketing dollars.”

Read the full interview on Boxing Insider here.