Rapper 50 Cent has filed for bankruptcy protection, reporting debts and assets in the range of $10-$50m.
The 40-year-old entertainer called the voluntary Chapter 11 filing in a Connecticut bankruptcy court a "strategic business move" that would not affect fans.
Lawyers for the singer filed courtpapers in US bankruptcy court in Hartford under the musician's real name, Curtis James Jackson III.
It came two months after 50 Cent filed for bankruptcy protection for his SMS Promotions boxing promotion company, and three days after the rapper was ordered by a Manhattan court to pay $5m in damages to a woman over a sex tape posted online in 2009.
The court case stemmed from a video in which the rapper is accused of adding a commentary to a tape that the woman made with her boyfriend, and posting it online without her permission.
The woman in the tape filed court papers in a bid to continue with the punitive damages phase of the trial involving 50 Cent, which would normally be halted under the bankruptcy filing.
In May, Forbes named 50 Cent as one of the five wealthiest hip-hop artists in the US with a net worth of $155m, largely from his business interests in clothing, beverages and music technology.
William Brewer, an attorney for 50 Cent, said in a statementt hat the bankruptcy filing would allow him to "continue his involvement with various business interests and continue his work as an entertainer" while he reorganises his financial affairs.
The bankruptcy filing lists his liabilities as in the region of $10-$50m and his estimated assets in the same range.
The rapper has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and won a Grammy Award in 2010. He has also worked as an actor, appearing in the 2008 film "Righteous Kill," and as a boxing promoter.
