Chinua Achebe Battles 50 Cent Over 'Things Fall Apart' Film Title!

50 Cent has recently faced a legal challenge from Nigerian author Chinua Achebe.

One of the most powerful performers in the United States, 50 Cent has made a fortune out of his image as a reformed criminal. Boasting genuine gunshot wounds, there are few who would cross the media mogul.

However Nigerian author Chinua Achebe seems to be made of sterner stuff. The author is one of the finest writers in the English language, with countless awards and seminal works to his name.

Achebe was recently forced to act after 50 Cent confirmed that he was working on a film titled 'Things Fall Apart'. The rapper was set to write and star in the movie, which is already on the release schedules.

Of course, 'Things Fall Apart' is far from an original title. The phrase was coined by WB Yeats and used by Chinua Achebe as the title of his 1958 novel, a savage indictment of the Imperial experience.

Setting his legal team on the rapper's trail, 50 Cent offer Chinua Achebe $1 million for use of the title because - according to a source - "50 Cent prefers to keep the title".

Replying, the writer's legal representatives stated that "the novel with the said title was initially produced in 1958 (that is 17 years before rapper 50 Cent was born), listed as the mostly read book in modern African literature, and won't be sold for even 1 Billion Dollars".

Forced to back pedal, 50 Cent consulted his legal team. Assured that victory was out of sight, the rapper was forced to change the title of his forthcoming picture to 'All Things Fall Apart' (via Broadway Ghana).

Of course, this isn't the first time 'Things Fall Apart' has been used in a hip hop context. The phrase also lent itself to the title of The Roots' 1998 masterpiece, although the Philadephia outfit intended this as a conscious nod towards the Nigerian author.