It was recently reported that rapper 50 Cent is very close to reaching settlement in his bankruptcy case, which would see him pay his creditors to whom he owes upwards of $28 million. With this, there is another major point of contention for Judge Ann Nevins. Apparently, 50’s Instagram posts over the past few months flaunting his cash has irked the court. The rapper’s attorney said earlier this week that the money is not real. Today, TMZ has released audio from the court house which find Fif’s representatives explaining to Judge Nevins that their client must appear to be rich in order to please his fans, while also maintaining his personal brand.

I’m not going to ask you whether you listen to his music or have seen his videos or anything like that, but if you look at Mr. Jackson or other Hip Hop artists, they’re aspirational,” one of the lawyers says. “They come from poverty. Many of their fans are poor. They want their favorite rapper to be rich. Money is important to them. You look at his pre-bankruptcy persona, look at some of the videos, money is important. Filing the bankruptcy by definition presented a real challenge as to how it’s going to be handled.

When asked whether or not his posts might have been seen as offensive to the court and the proceedings, another one of 50’s reps offered an explanation.

I could understand why it would inflame creditors of the estate, but I think they’re sophisticated. They now appreciate what’s one person’s inflammation is another one’s way of maximizing recovery,” the lawyer says. “If Mr. Jackson conducted himself say with more discretion, more tact, he wouldn’t be getting people endorsing him for high premium items. He wouldn’t be getting movie parts. He wouldn’t be having great roles on TV.

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