Robert De Niro and 50 Cent on the cover of the next Vibe issue

[Meho]

Robert De Niro and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson made their names bringing gangster mythologies to life. Now they're sharing the screen together in the new movie Righteous Kill. But how hard is it to live up to the image day in and day out? Excerpted from VIBE's March* 2008 cover story.
They’re both weird guys. Tough-acting guys, each in his way.

At the photo shoot, De Niro’s early, seated in a director’s chair, reading The New York Times. Looking over the top of his glasses, he asks without speaking, “Where’s Curtis?”

Curtis is stepping off the elevator, looking slim, not quite so superhero about the shoulders. As the bulbs begin to flash, the two of them are a little awkward at first—until Jackson picks up a bat, then a tiny toy pistol, at one point a toy Oscar. When they change into dress suits and ties, they loosen up. On the hanger, the look is very businessman, but the models transform the clothes quickly—to gangsta businessman. There is a menace to these two and an unpredictability. Real, imagined, or engrained by their personas, it’s what they bring, without half trying.
Robert Mario De Niro Jr. and Curtis James Jackson III. No matter what roles they play, no matter what else either of them do—have families, run businesses, write, direct, and produce—De Niro and Jackson are both gangsters. They’ve both made lives of portraying them—50 in real life, onstage, and onscreen, De Niro mostly onscreen—perfecting the pose and madness and especially the cold souls of men who have street mentalities, who have little to no remorse about living lives infused with violence and crime, murder and mayhem.

Jackson, based on his criminal record, his rap records, and the film autobiography, Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (in which he played himself), apparently has more tangibles, as an actor, to draw from. But De Niro, who won both his Oscars for playing men who kill at will (young Vito Corleone in Godfather II and Max Cody in Cape Fear) clearly has his mysteries.

De Niro and “50 Cent.” One 64, the other, exactly half his age. De Niro was raised in New York City’s Little Italy by divorced parents (dad was asculptor, painter, and poet; mom was a painter and printer). Jackson was an orphan by age 8, and brought up in his grandparents’ home in Queens, N.Y., with eight aunts and uncles.

De Niro went to a performing arts high school, ran the streets a bit with a lightweight crew—people called him “Bobby Milk” because of his pale skin. Jackson, who boxed as a Junior Olympian, started selling drugs at 12, and served six months in jail in 1994 for selling crack cocaine.

Through his relationships with Jam Master Jay and Eminem, and after a string of now-legendary mixtapes, Jackson realized his dream of becoming rich and of becoming a world-famous MC. Among many other accolades, he’s been nominated for 13 Grammys, won three BET Awards, and two MTV Video Music Awards.

He’s sold more than 31 million albums. And yet somehow, no matter what else he does, every interview comes back to his getting shot nine times. Or was it, as some insist, only five times? It all depends on who’s counting.

In his twenties, De Niro was studying with the best drama teachers of the century, performing Chekhov on the stage when a young director named Brian DePalma cast him in 1969’s The Wedding Party. After the ’74 Oscar for Godfather II (the first of two statuettes from six nominations), there was Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Deer Hunter, Cape Fear, The Untouchables (as Al Capone), Midnight Run, Casino, A Bronx Tale, and Heat.

But it was his portrayal of Vito that was the start of De Niro as part of rap culture. If not born of the The Godfather trilogy, hip hop was certainly raised on it. There are too many references from the films in hip hop songs to even begin to count (mostly the first and second one, but also the third, as Michael Corleone struggles to “go legit.”) Even Jay-Z has referred to himself as “Young Vito.” And now, the crisscrossing cross-references come to head: This summer, Jackson and De Niro, along with Al Pacino, star together in Righteous Kill, a $60-million film, that, in shorthand, is about gangsta cops. Pacino, who as Tony Montana (what rapper doesn’t have 1983’s Scarface committed to memory?) has almost as many chromosomes in rap music as Grand Master Caz. 50 Cent, who has appeared on the cover of VIBE as Montana, is now in a film with Vito and Michael Corleone—50 has hit artistic and creative lotto just as hip hop begins turning in on itself.

Yes, Tone Loc was in Heat—the only other time De Niro and Pacino shared the screen together—but all respect to Loc, rap is grown and out of the house now. Rap’s old enough to have its own quarter-life crisis. Aside from being a probable blockbuster, Righteous Kill affords 50 the opportunity to check in on the larger-than-life archetypes he’s been adoring and mimicking all along.

Why do black guys—shit why do guys—identify with Italian-American thugs to the degree they do? Is it simply the idea of gaining—with finesse—power outside the mainstream? That’s something some young black men have been doing—been forced to do—and have been aspiring to do since Emancipation and before. Killing is power. The ability to instill fear and to gain respect is power. The idea of living without regret is seductive. It’s also death on the spirit.

[Mackin]

Robert De Niro is quite clearly my Fave Actor!!!
Hopefully the movie will turn out Good
it's for Mr De Niro upcoming movie right??

Hopefully the movie will be Good!
if it is, acting Roles for 50 will follow...
Cover looks Dope!!

[wcsoldier]

De Niro is without a doubt the greatest actor of all of the time but Avnet is far from being great so I fear a huge letdown regarding what we expect from a Al Pacino-De Niro duo .. I dont see any acting talent in fifty .. one more proof its not about talent but about connections and fame.. rappers should stick to rap .. they are barely good at it so why try to act 

[MontrealCity's Most]

Deniro is my favorite but to say he is the greatest of all time is debatable, when you look at the movies a guy like Tom hanks had done.

With that said im very much looking foward to this movie.  Its gonna be a very good summer for movies

The dark KNight
Rightous kill
indiana jones

[Episcop Cruel Cvrle]

Its a disgrace to see 50 or any other weak actor with a movie with PACINO and DENIRO. I think producers forced that, guess that director aint that stupid, or maybe....Mann or Scorsese would never do dat

[187_gangsta_crip]

Where was Al Pacino?? To me he is the greatest actor of all time..

[MontrealCity's Most]

Its a disgrace to see 50 or any other weak actor with a movie with PACINO and DENIRO. I think producers forced that, guess that director aint that stupid, or maybe....Mann or Scorsese would never do dat

if they wanted a black actor they should of put denzell or some

[Dodgers#1]

Deniro is my favorite but to say he is the greatest of all time is debatable, when you look at the movies a guy like Tom hanks had done.

With that said im very much looking foward to this movie.  Its gonna be a very good summer for movies

The dark KNight
Rightous kill
indiana jones

dont forget about iron man that movie looks like its ganna be dope

[Nat Turner-reincarnated]

Where was Al Pacino?? To me he is the greatest actor of all time..

what!!!!!!!!!! you out ya fuckin mind

[AnybodyKilla]

Damn De Niro's lookin hella haggered now lol. We'll have to wait n see how this shit turns out!!!

[R1ZE]

shit should be good. i dont think 50s role is that big

[big mat]

deniro was one of the best back then, pacino too, but now they just play themselves, it's cool cuz they got style but they don't go as far as the best ever went, marlon brando, and this is a fact

[topshotta]

Definitely looking forward to this movie, should be like Heat Pt 2, and yeah 50 dont have a big role in it, kinda like T.I. had in American Gangster, sum shit like dat.. Check imdb.com!

[Tommy Illnigga]

how they gon put 50 along two of the greatest actors of all times... I don't got my hopes too high cuz I am not liking who they chose to direct it (Jon Avnet), still I wanna check this shit no doubt

[Philip1123]

The only reason 50 Cent is in the movie is to attract millions of his fans to see the movie.... Nothing to do with his (nonexcisting acting skills).
Nevertheless, I am sure DeNiro and Pacino will carry the movie on their backs. Should be at least very good!