I Got It MADE

Say what you want about 50 Cent as a rapper, there's no questioning his business acumen.

The hip-hop superstar showed just how smart his is Monday in a candid, freewheeling interview with DJ Buck and Nancy Barrow on WZMX-FM, Hot 93.7.

Wearing a hoodie vest, a Yankees cap cocked jauntily to the side and a gigantic wristwatch, Fiddy explained that he's not concerned with how people think he stacks up against other rappers, why he has taken a more melodic turn in his music and why he's including a DVD film with his new new album, "Before I Self Destruct," out Nov. 16 on CD.

Fifty said he doesn't care whether he's the best rapper in the game. "I'm a songwriter," he said.

To that end, he began emphasizing melody more in his music after touring in parts of the world where fluent English isn't a given. If there's a melody, he said, there's something for the ear to grab. "That's the only thing they can follow," he said. "They may not know everything you're saying." Smart.

Like any good businessman, 50 Cent keeps current with the competition.

"I pay attention to everybody out there, because they're creating businesses based on interest in hip-hop culture," he said. "You see Phat Farm, and it leads to Sean John."

Barrow at one point described the movie component to "Before I Self Destruct" as "violent." Fifty corrected her.

"You don't say violent," he deadpanned. "You say R-rated."

He added that he decided to include the movie to give the music greater depth. In a 3-minute song, he said, "There's no real time for you to create cause and effect, or show reasoning."