You’d be surprised by how much 50 Cent was making per episode during his time playing the role Kanan Stark on his hit series Power.

The Queens mogul recently sat down with GQ to talk about his most iconic films and spoke on his friction with writer and showrunner Courtney Kemp Agboh and the show’s lead Omari Hardwick while also revealing that he took quite the pay cut to play the notorious character. 50 began talking about how his name being attached to the show and his executive producer status made things “awkward” for Kemp and Hardwick once the series started to take off in popularity.

“When people have success for the first time in their career, sometimes they need it to be all theirs, right?” he explained. “So the difficult thing is if they have their success for the first time, and it’s a 50 Cent show. It is a 50 Cent show, like publicly people look at it like it’s ‘presented by 50 Cent.’ The story is from Southside, Jamaica, Queens — everything is 50 Cent tied to the show. The music that’s playing is 50 Cent.”

He added: “It got awkward for the writer, for the showrunner because she felt like it was registering as a 50 Cent show instead of her show, and that turned into … it got weird with her behaviors and the things that were going on behind the scenes with her, and then it also was friction between her and Omari because he was feeling like he was the lead and the star of the show, so she was having a problem with anybody that was leading the show because she felt like it was her show.”

50 Cent then talked about how much he was making per episode while also wearing many hats like executive producer and music supervisor. “I took a pay cut to be there the entire time that I was on that show,” he said, after admitting he had no issues about his character being famously killed off. “I was being paid, in the very beginning, $17,000 per episode while executive producing the show, being the music supervisor pretty much, doing the theme song, doing all the promotion and publicity. It wasn’t until the third season that they would accept the show on Good Morning America without me being there. I’m technically the star of Power until I introduced everybody to it, and then Omari Hardwick turned into the star of Power.”

In other 50 Cent news, he recently teased a collaboration between himself, his mentor Eminem and the late 2Pac for the official soundtrack of his upcoming role as Balrog in the newest iteration of Street Fighter, which is coming to theaters on Oct. 16.

You can watch the full interview below.

Ariana Grande is set to take a break from the public once her Eternal Sunshine Tour wraps on Sept. 1. The pop star’s time off includes her pulling out of leading the revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park With George, which was expected to open next summer in London’s West End.

People first reported the news — which comes just after Grande released her highly-anticipated new studio album Petal — on Sunday (Aug. 2), publishing a statement attributed to a representative for Grande. Billboard has reached out to Grande’s team for comment.

“Ariana will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour,” the statement said. “She looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily, and then taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny. This tour has been a beautiful experience for her. She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much.”

Grande is also bowing out of her previously announced appearance in the West End revival of Sunday in the Park With George. She was set to star in the London production opposite Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey.

She’s currently on the last month of her Eternal Sunshine Tour, which next heads to Chicago for three concert dates (Aug. 3, 5 and 6) before a show-closing, 10-date run in London that spans Aug. 15 to Sept. 1.

Petal the album just arrived on Friday (July 31), and its title track was released as the LP’s second single.

A music video debuted alongside the track that echoes real-life critiques Grande’s received from the public; recent public commentary has been centered on her physical appearance and weight.

In the visual, which plays as a short film, the performer cuts down critics — with a chainsaw — after being told she’s “not good enough” and has “no sex appeal.” Audition notes saying that she “should get some work done” turn to “too much work done.” “The way you used to be, I miss that,” one naysayer says.

“Hate That I Made You Love Me,” the album’s first single, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Post-tour, fans can see her in movie theaters in Focker-in-Law, opening Nov. 25. The comedy is the latest in the Meet the Parents series, starring Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro.

Rock legend Patti Smith was giddy and almost at a loss for words when she met Friday (July 31) with Pope Leo XIV.

“Hi,” she said softly as she sat down across from Leo at his desk in the Apostolic Palace.

Post-meeting, on Instagram, she had a bit more to say: “This is a moment that shall forever produce a smile,” she wrote of the encounter.

Wearing a crucifix necklace and hair in her trademark braids, Smith has become an increasingly visible presence at the Vatican thanks to her friendship with the Rev. Antonio Spadaro, undersecretary in the Vatican’s culture ministry.

She has said that while she is not Catholic, she was drawn in particular to Pope Francis and his “gentle, open, and steadfast sense of humanity.”

She also had a thing for Pope John Paul I: Her 1979 tune “Wave” is about a make-believe conversation with the pope who had just died after a 33-day papacy. It begins “Hi. Hi,” uttered in the same breathy voice Smith used with Leo on Friday.

The pope clearly was familiar with the tune. “That was marvelous,” he said.

Earlier this year, Smith performed during the inauguration of the Holy See’s Pavilion at the Venice Biennale contemporary art fair. The occasion, May 8, was the anniversary of Leo’s election.

Spadaro, who joined Smith at Friday’s audience, said the encounter between the two Chicago natives was around 40 minutes long. In a text message, he said it “felt more like a conversation between two people discovering they were old friends, sharing memories woven from words and music, dreams, visions, and hopes — both from yesterday and for today.”

He said at the end, Smith said “Bye. Bye.”

Smith met Francis in 2013 and sang for him in 2014. When he died, on April 21, 2025, she wrote a poem on social media, comparing Francis to a dandelion, “humble yet strong.”

“Nature and poetry and the suffering shall miss their champion,” she wrote.

It was Leo’s second encounter with a music legend this week. On Wednesday, Leo attended a concert in his honor by tenor Andrea Bocelli.

Parker McCollum and his wife, Hallie Ray McCollum, have welcomed their second child together.

The country star announced Saturday (Aug. 1) that the couple’s new baby boy was born on July 30. They shared the news in a joint Instagram post featuring a gallery of family photos from the hospital.

“Rocker Tommy Light McCollum! born on July 30th / 8 pounds 7 oz!” the couple wrote. “THANK YOU JESUS for another healthy baby boy! we are so in love with our little fam! mom & dad x 2 here we gooooooo!”

The photo gallery included sweet moments of the family’s first days as a quartet, with McCollum and Hallie Ray posing alongside their newborn while their older son, Major Yancey, looked on.

The announcement drew congratulations from friends, fans and fellow artists. Miranda Lambert was among those celebrating the news, commenting, “Congrats yall,” alongside two blue heart emojis.

The arrival comes just days after McCollum revealed he would postpone tour dates to be present for the birth of his second son.

“Hey everyone. Wanted to share some good news with you all,” he wrote in a Facebook post on July 29. “My beautiful wife is blessing our family with our second baby and it’s looking like he’ll be here tomorrow! I couldn’t be more excited to become a dad for the second time.”

The singer also announced he would reschedule shows in Kansas City, Missouri, and Omaha, Nebraska, explaining his decision to put family first.

“Once I step off the stage at Red Rocks, I’m headed straight home to be with the family. Hate having to make that call, but family comes first,” he wrote.

The Omaha concert has been rescheduled for Sept. 10, while the Kansas City show will now take place Sept. 12. Previously purchased tickets will be honored for the new dates.

“Thanks for understanding and for all the love. Can’t wait to see ya’ll soon,” McCollum concluded.

McCollum is currently touring in support of his 2025 self-titled album, with dates scheduled through the end of November.

McCollum first announced Hallie Ray’s pregnancy in December 2025, sharing festive family photos on Instagram. “McCollum party of 4 next Christmas!!!!” he captioned the Instagram post.

The couple married in March 2022 and welcomed their first son, Major Yancey, in August 2024.