Jun 15, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Rapper 50 Cent during the pre-game at BC Lions against the Calgary Stampeders at BC Place. Mandatory Credit: Simon Fearn-Imagn Images.
The Minnesota Vikings have reached the point in the regular season when they’re vibing to 50 Cent’s hip-hop classic, Many Men.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz posted a video on Monday morning of Vikings players — and head coach Kevin O’Connell — celebrating a 23-14 win over the San Francisco 49ers to the lyrics of 50 Cent’s anthem in the team’s locker room.
Here’s the footage:
The rapper took notice on X and weighed in personally: “Oh shit 😎👏👏👏 Let’s go Vikings. Set the tone get the Vibe right and go for it all. 💣Boom. gunitbrands.com.”
Here’s the full 50 tweet:
Heading into Sunday, Minnesota was expected to lose versus San Francisco by about four or five points as last year’s Super Bowl runner-up easily disposed of Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets in Week 1. However, upon arriving in Minneapolis, the Vikings rather quickly appeared as the better football team and probably should’ve chipped off the 49ers by 20-24 points if not for a few self-inflicted gaffes.
In the end, Minnesota held San Francisco at bay in the 4th Quarter and beat the 49ers by six points — about 11 months removed from defeating the same team at U.S. Bank Stadium while showcasing a seven-point underdog status.
50 Cent has no real affiliation with the Vikings, generally speaking, but the celebration set to his song evidently grabbed his attention, and he used the clip to promote his brand, the above-listed G-Unit link.
The rapper has sold 30 million albums worldwide after debuting on the scene 21 years ago with his first album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’. He’s also been nominated for 14 Grammy awards, winning Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group in 2010 for his song Crack a Bottle, which featured Eminem and Dr. Dre.
After the win over San Francisco, head coach Kevin O’Connell congratulated his quarterback, among others: “That is big-time quarterback play for all those folks out there that want examples of it. I think we got two weeks of some pretty tangible examples of some [great] quarterback play from Darnold. I’m really proud of him.”
“He’s playing quarterback and playing it at a really high level,” O’Connell added about his QB1.
The 49ers have lost eight consecutive games in the state of Minnesota, a streak dating back to 1992, with losses at the Metrodome and U.S. Bank Stadium.
Minnesota hosts the undefeated Houston Texans this weekend and is expected to lose by 1.5 points.
50 Cent has nearly 13 million followers on X.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.