Fiddy's focused on staying relevant

Fiddy’s focused on staying relevant

“I expect this to be a great venture for me because you download music, you can steal music, but you can't steal a headset. I am thinking outside the box. Thinking of ways to exists and stay relevant.”

October 17, 2012 5:51 by Eva Fernandes

With the tune of ‘In the Club’ playing in the background, as he walks into the room in a plaid shirt, jeans and his headset plugged in, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson doesn’t quite fit the usual stereotype of a CEO.

In town for the launch of his headphones, SMS Audio, at GITEX, Jackson says his eagerness to stay on top of things is what sets him apart from others: “If you don’t adapt you will get left behind—you just got to be open minded and be open to new opportunities. I am not afraid to venture out and I am willing to learn. A lot of times people stick to what is safe and what they know best-that limits them from opportunities.”

His two lines of headsets, the over ear wireless range called “Sync by 50,” and the wired “Street by 50” available in the over-ear and in-ear range are retailed at Dh1,499, Dh999 and Dh499 respectively.

Though SMS Audio comes a little late to the party of celebrity-endorsed headphones, Jackson says it is all about staying relevant: “I expect this to be a great venture for me because you download music, you can steal music, but you can’t steal a headset. I am thinking outside the box. Thinking of ways to exists and stay relevant.”

After all, the major rival headset, Beats by Dre, was launched a good four years ago in 2008. Since then, Beats by Dre has dominated the headphone industry, earning the rapper $110 million last year making him Forbes Richest Hip-Hop singer.

But Jackson says he doesn’t want SMS audio to be compared to Dr.Dre’s Beats: “I have been consistently compared to the Beats line of headphones. I would also like to be characterised with Bose, with Sony and the other high quality companies that create materials that have been there for so many years ahead of (Beats by Dre). I think they (SMS Audio) do great up against them.”

SMS Audio, currently available in the US, Europe and South Africa, is now available at Virgin Megastore outlets in the Emirates.