In March of 2023, The Conglomerate published an article Titled “50 Cent to Save Shreveport,” where we reported on the murmurings of, household name, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s recent interest in Centenary’s very own hometown. A year later and those murmurings have become a reality as Jackson and his team have already purchased multiple downtown properties, put on events, opened new businesses, and made changes to the skyline. It seems as though Jackson’s vision is here to stay the only question is what this could mean for Shreveport. 

At the time of writing the first article, Jackson had only discussed buying the Shreveport-based, defunct film studio: Millennium Studios. According to the Shreveport Times, only ten months after that initial article, in December of 2023, Shreveport City Council voted to approve leasing the property to Jackson. The agreement states that the city of Shreveport and Jackson’s company, G-Unit, will have a 30-year lease with an option for a 15-year extension. Yearly rent for the facility will be $2,400 a year, which according to Mayor Tom Arceneaux at the groundbreaking in November of 2023, will save the city nearly $180,000 a year. This could mean huge economic development for the city. Shreveport locals need not fear though as Jackson has made it clear that he intends on having a Shreveport-first mindset when it comes to staffing his sweeping new business ventures.

According to local news station, KLSA News 12, in April of 2024, Jackson and his team rolled out their expansive plans for the film studio. It was clear to city leaders that the expansion would not stop at the studio. Beginning in May of 2024, Jackson and his team began purchasing several downtown properties totaling $2,398,122. According to his team, this is only the first step in a three-phase process of flipping the city. 

We can only speculate what all of these locations will turn out to be, however after the success of this August’s Humor and Harmony Festival, a new daiquiri place and event center is set to be a permanent fixture in the Red River District. The four-day festival brought in big names in comedy, music, sports and entertainment. G-Unity, Jackson’s youth foundation says the festival brought in millions of dollars in economic impact to the city. Jackson himself on Instagram said that the crowd totaled in about 30,000 people. The success of the event bodes well for the future of the new businesses in town. 

G-Spot (yes, that is really its name) started as a pop-up at this August’s Humor and Harmony festival. If you are of legal drinking age you can enjoy a beverage or slice of pizza while enjoying live music. Other plans seem to be a permanent G-Dome: a Las Vegas-style dome-shaped event center. Jackson confirmed on his Instagram that the location will be making a return and that he knows now that “what we just had wasn't big enough."

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