Governor Ned Lamont presented the ‘Just a Lil Bit’ rapper with a certificate officially declaring Aug. 11 as “50 Cent Day”

50 Cent performs in NYC on Aug. 10, 2023. PHOTO:

JAMIE MCCARTHY/GETTY IMAGES

50 Cent had a lot to celebrate on Friday.The “21 Questions” rapper, 48, received a special honor on the same day that music fans everywhere were marking the milestone 50th anniversary of hip-hop. In a ceremony in Hartford, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont presented 50 Cent — whose real name is Curtis Jackson — with a certificate declaring Aug. 11 as “50 Cent Day” in the Constitution State.

The performer shared a photo of the big moment on Instagram Friday, writing, “Today was officially Curtis 50 Cent Jackson day in Hartford CT. The energy was so good, it made me remember why I moved to CT.”

50 Cent has quite a bit of history in Connecticut. After purchasing boxing legend Mike Tyson’s 52-room estate in Farmington for $4.1 million in 2003, the rapper lived there for a number of years. He later sold the home in 2019 and donated the sale proceeds to his charity, G-Unit Foundation.

Following the Hartford ceremony, 50 Cent performed an energetic set that night at the city’s XFINITY Center as his The Final Lap Tour rolls on. The “Candy Shop” rapper announced the global tour in May, sharing that he was going back on the road to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin’.

“You’ve waited long enough! THE FINAL LAP TOUR celebrating GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN’ – 20 YEARS LATER,” he wrote on Instagram at the time.

Since then, he’s been sharing lots of photos and video highlights from his concerts. He will be performing more shows across the U.S. over the next several weeks, and will then kick off the international leg of the tour on Sept. 28 in Amsterdam.

The hip-hop icon also has another major project in the works. Earlier this year, he revealed during an appearance on the BigBoyTV YouTube channel that he is turning the 2002 film 8 Mile — which is a semi-autobiographical take on fellow rapper Eminem’s life — into a TV show.

“I’m gonna bring his 8 Mile to television,” he explained, adding that Eminem, 50, will be assisting with the show’s production.

50 Cent is currently in the middle of his The Final Lap tour. JAMIE MCCARTHY/GETTY

“It’s gonna be big. I’m working. I ain’t got no duds. I’m batting 100,” 50 Cent continued. “I think it should be there for his legacy because it’s important to me that they understand it.”

According to the rapper, the project will provide a “backstory” to the film and chronicle Eminem’s younger years. He also expressed a desire for the TV series to introduce Eminem’s story to a new audience.

Last year, 50 Cent and Eminem delighted fans by reuniting with several other hip-hop stars — Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg — to perform a rousing Super Bowl Halftime Show together.