50 Cent bankruptcy
50 Cent reportedly has a net worth of $16m (£11.2m) Frederic Brown/AFP/Getty

He regularly flaunts wads of cash on social despite filing for bankruptcy last summer but it seems that 50 Cent's penchant for stashing $100 bills in his fridge has finally backfired. CNN reports that the hip-hop star has been ordered to explain the images after they raised doubts about his financial status.

Fiddy, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2015, days after a judge ruled that the Grammy winner must pay $5m (£3.5m) in damages to Lastonia Leviston, 36, after posting a sex tape involving her boyfriend, without her consent. The move allows a business or a person to claim insolvency, but gives them time to reorganise their finances and negotiate a repayment plan with creditors

On Thursday (18 February) US Bankruptcy Judge Ann M Nevins expressed concerns about transparency in the case. "There's a purpose of having a bankruptcy process be transparent, and part of that purpose is to inspire confidence in the process," she said.

However, 50 Cent's lawyers have defended the posts claiming that the images are all a part of his profession in the entertainment industry and helps create a persona.

The development follows the Get Money Or Die Tryin star's request to reduce the compensation he was ordered to pay Leviston. According to reports by the New York Post's Page Six, 50 Cent, real name Curtis Jackson, has asked if the damages could be dropped from $7m (£4.8m) to $1.6m or even less as he is suffering financial difficulties. However, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Paul Wooten is said to have shut down the rapper's pleas.

Describing the hip hop star's latest demand as "strategic", Leviston's lawyer Brian Isaac said: "They asked you to split the damages. [Now] they want a $2.5m discount for you to follow their [request].

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