Rap star 50 Cent paid in bitcoins

US rapper 50 Cent has said he is accepting bitcoins as payment for his new album in order to “stay with the times”. 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, is currently promoting his first album in five years and is one of the first artists to accept bitcoins – a virtual currency – as payment.

Yesterday the ‘In Da Club’ music star released his album, which is titled ‘Animal Ambition: An Untamed Desire to Win’.

The star, who has also been in a number of Hollywood films and sold over 30 million records worldwide, has been unable to live up to the success of his debut album, ‘Get Rich Or Die Tryin’.

In a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) session the ‘Candy Shop’ singer said: “Technology is what’s changing the business gotta get with it. I take money no matter if it’s coins or dollars.”

In response to the news Bitcoin magazine said: “There could not be a better combination of innovation in music and payment. We look forward to seeing which other musicians follow suit.”

The album is available for purchase at shop.50cent.com using BitPay, a payment service which handles bitcoin transactions.

Currently one bitcoin is worth £430.