50 Cent Sues Taco Bell for 100,000,000 Cent

(FranchisePick.Com)  Since I do not have the coinage to defend myself in a multi-million dollar lawsuit – and am hopelessly low on bling at the moment – I shall refrain from suggesting that Curtis Jackson update his name to 100,000,000+ Cent.  Or replace it altogether with an unpronounceable symbol that resembles a diamond-encrusted dollar sign.

However, I will add my two-cent:  millionaire rap stars don’t have senses of humor. 

Wouldn’t you think that people who name themselves Coolio, 50 Cent might have a sense of humor?  Think again.

When Weird Al Yankovich pioneered the Mennonite-Rap movement with Amish Paradise, Coolio’s public threats made His Weirdness immediately cut his dreads in fear.  And now 50 Cent is showing that he is just as humorless by suing Taco Bell for their suggestion that he change his name to 79 Cent, 89 Cent or 99 Cent to help promote its Value Menu.

According to Money:

Rapper Curtis Jackson, who performs under the stage name 50 Cent, sued Yum Brands Inc.’s (YUM) Taco Bell Corp. on Wednesday for allegedly using his name, persona and trademarks in a nationwide advertising campaign without his permission.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, alleges Taco Bell drafted a fake letter it purported asks Jackson to change his name to “79 Cent,” “89 Cent” or “99 Cent” in order to publicize its “79-89-99 Cent Why Pay More Value Menu.”

The restaurant chain allegedly released the letter to the national press in June before sending it to Jackson, the complaint said. The letter reads “like a poorly written voice-over for one of Taco Bell’s television commercials,” the lawsuit said.

“Thus, without authorization, Taco Bell traded on the name of the world’s biggest hip-hop star to draw attention to its new hip-hop-based advertising campaign, and thereby generated massive publicity for its business,” the lawsuit said….

The lawsuit is seeking more than $1 million in damages.

Taco Bell responded:

“We made a good-faith, charitable offer to 50 Cent to change his name to either 79, 89 or 99 Cent for one day by rapping his order at a Taco Bell, and we would have been very pleased to make the $10,000 donation to the charity of his choice,” said Rob Poetsch, a Taco Bell spokesman.

I gotta tell you, I love Taco Bell’s publicity stunts and hand it to YUM Brands management for having the balls to let them spend millions of dollars for my personal amusement. 

Keep up the great work, guys… It’s money well spent.

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