Rapper 50 Cent made waves online after he shared a photo with a controversial Republican representative during a trip to the nation’s capital.
The musician, whose real name is Curtis James Jackson III, made a surprise appearance on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, along with civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
During his trip, the rapper stopped to pose for a photo with Rep. Lauren Boebert at the Capitol before sharing the photo to his Instagram account.
“Lauren Boebert, a Republican from Colorado who makes the White House look good,” Jackson wrote in his post.
The 48-year-old was in Washington advocating for Black entrepreneurs and pushing for more representation in the luxury liquor industry.
Rapper 50 Cent drew criticism after posing for a photo with Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican, during a surprise trip to Capitol Hill
The musician, whose real name is Curtis James Jackson III, advocated for fellow Black entrepreneurs
Netizens were quick to voice their disapproval, with some comments racking up thousands of likes each.
“Why anyone would want to associate with this type of woman is beyond me,” one user commented.
“But why would you even take a photo while you’re embarrassing Congress?” another wrote.
Others were more direct. “Sir, there is still time to remove this,” read one comment.
Boebert, a staunch Trump ally, has condemned her politics, including her advocacy for gun rights, opposition to COVID-19 mitigation policies and alignment with QAnon conspiracy theorists.
Her reputation was further tarnished in September 2023 when she became the subject of a scandal over an alleged sex act during a performance of ‘Beetlejuice’ in Denver.
Boebert and Quinn Gallagher, a local business owner and registered Democrat, were warned during the break after other patrons complained that they were singing, filming the performance and vaping.
Five minutes into the second act, Boebert and her date were escorted from the theater.
The photo drew condemnations from internet users, including one who wrote: “Why anyone would want to associate with this type of woman is beyond me.”
Boebert was embroiled in a scandal late last year after a video surfaced of her groping her date’s crotch during a performance of ‘Beetlejuice’ in Denver
The far-right politician was kicked out of the theater after customers complained that she was vaping and filming the performance on her phone
One comment seemed to make fun of the incident, joking, “Did she take you to Beetlejuice?”
Surveillance footage later surfaced showing Boebert grabbing Gallagher’s crotch, while another clip gave her the middle finger as they walked away.
Some comments on Jackson’s post poked fun at the incident, including one comment that joked, “Did she take you to Beetlejuice?”
Boebert shared her own photo of their meeting with X, formerly Twitter.
“I’d still love you if you flipped burgers at Burger King, I used to do that too!” she wrote. “Thanks for the photo, nice to meet you!”
The caption appeared to reference a line from the rapper’s 2003 hit “21 Questions.”
Boebert, 37, was re-elected to her seat in the House of Representatives in 2022 by a narrow margin of just 546 votes.
In December 2023, she announced she would move from running in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District to the 4th Congressional District, a GOP stronghold.
Jackson also stopped for a photo with House Speaker Mike Johnson, who survived an impeachment vote last month
The rapper was quick to point out that he took photos with politicians from across the aisle, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
She is currently on the ballot for the state’s Republican primary on June 25.
During Wednesday’s surprise trip, Jackson also stopped to take a photo with House Speaker Mike Johnson, who survived a dramatic impeachment vote last month.
“My fellow friend from Shreveport said he’s happy to see me making things happen and creating a lot of jobs,” the rapper wrote.
He also posed for photos with people from across the aisle, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Congresswoman Nikema Williams (D-GA).
In the wake of the backlash, Jackson posted a follow-up message to X.
“Wait, wait, guys, I took pictures with everyone and all you seem to care about is Lauren,” he wrote.
“What has she done in a dark theater that hasn’t been done before, my God! Hi, I don’t have chlamydia by the way. LOL.’
Jackson was an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill Wednesday, the rapper said he believed black men would identify with Trump over Biden “because they have RICO charges.”
Trump and several co-conspirators face racketeering and corruption charges in Georgia over their efforts to overturn the election results in that state.