In bankruptcy, 50 Cent seeks to rent out his cursed 'East Coast Playboy Mansion'

By Sid Lipsey

It was dubbed "the East Coast Playboy mansion." It was once ranked among the largest homes in America. It's also known for sending its owners to the poorhouse. Now, it can be yours — to rent.

Rapper-actor 50 Cent, a.k.a. Curtis Jackson, is trying to lease his gigantic mansion (21 bedrooms and two dozen to three dozen bathrooms) in Farmington, Connecticut, in hopes it'll ease some of his money problems. He bought the mansion from boxer Mike Tyson's ex, and he's now the fourth homeowner who's wound up in dire financial straits.

You can be 'In Da Club' without leaving home. Click a photo for a slideshow.
You can be 'In Da Club' without leaving home. Click a photo for a slideshow.

The Hartford Courant reports that at a bankruptcy court hearing this week, Jackson's attorney revealed the mansion is costing the rapper $67,000 (that's 134,000 fifty-cent pieces) a month in upkeep. Jackson wants to rent the place out to reduce his expenses and generate some income. (Click here or on a photo for a slideshow.)

Jackson filed for bankruptcy last month after losing a lawsuit filed by a woman whose sex tape he posted online without her permission. He was ordered to pay her $7 million.

The 50 Cent mansion, appropriately enough, is approximately 50,000 square feet. It looks like a high-living fantasy straight out of a hip-hop video. According to information on Zillow, it has three separate living quarters with bedrooms, kitchens, and living and dining rooms. It also has a three-story atrium, a home theater, a conference room, a gym, a billiards room, a racquetball court, an indoor pool, a casino, and a "fully equipped nightclub" with dance floor, bar and DJ area.

As for the 17-acre exterior, there's a pond, basketball court, and an outdoor infinity pool with grotto. On the show "MTV Cribs," 50 Cent called the home "the East Coast Playboy Mansion." (Click here or on a photo for a slideshow.)

50 Cent in bankruptcy court. Click a photo for a slideshow.
50 Cent in bankruptcy court. Click a photo for a slideshow.

But there's a big downside: The mansion apparently is haunted by the Ghost of Bad Financial Decisions. The Boston Globe points out that, like Jackson, three of the home's previous owners have encountered major money problems:

• Real estate mogul Benjamin Sisti, who had the house built in 1985, lost the home after being sentenced to prison for bankruptcy fraud.

• After that, the home belonged to Lithuanian import-export business owner Romas Martsinkiavitchous, who sold the house as he, too, was facing crippling financial problems.

• The home's next owner, boxer Mike Tyson, lost the home to his ex-wife in a major divorce settlement that preceded his own bankruptcy filing.

Tyson's ex sold it to Jackson for $4.1 million in 2003, the same year Jackson released his monster hit album "Get Rich or Die Tryin'." But in recent years, his goal became "Get Rid of This House or Die Tryin'." He listed it for sale as early as 2007 for $18.5 million and was most recently asking $9,999,999. Renting it appears to be his latest attempt to shake off the burden of this massive home.

No word on how much 50 Cent is asking for rent. But given its troubled history, whoever ends up in it next would be well advised to make sure they can afford it first.

Click here or on a photo for a slideshow of 50 Cent's house, which you can rent for a few "G-units."

Also on Yahoo Homes:

Michael Moore's decidedly non-99% mansion in Michigan hits market at $5.2M
See 'Golden Girl' Bea Arthur's longtime home, one of California's quintessential ranch houses
Ashley Tisdale sells house her dad built for her

Here's your daily earworm, 50 Cent's "In Da Club":