50 Cent has said going to the dentist was something he found more painful than getting shot in the face.
Many of us aren’t huge fans of the dentist – often the fear is totally unfounded, as they’ll usually just prod around in your mouth before telling you to floss more, but every now and again they’ll get the drill out, and you know you’re in for a rocky ride.
And maybe we’re right to feel a bit apprehensive, as it turns out the pain is worse than being shot in the face.
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That’s according to rapper 50 Cent, aka Curtis Jackson, who was once shot multiple times as he stood outside his grandmother’s home in Queens, New York, back in 2000.
Aged 25 at the time, Jackson was shot nine times all over his body, including his legs, hands, arms, face and chest.
As a result, his legs were broken in several places and he spent 13 days in hospital.
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Speaking about the incident on The Howard Stern Show earlier this year, Jackson explained of the shooter: “He was paid to do it... It was my past... It was karma.
WARNING: CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
“He was paid because someone felt that I would potentially do something to them if they kept going on in the direction that they were going.”
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When pressed for more detail, he continued: “We were just having differences... just going back and forth. A guy got robbed in the actual neighbourhood.
“And he had just seen me communicating with someone who actually robbed him. And he misinterpreted the conversation because he saw me laughing and us talking, but he didn’t know I grew up with the guy.”
Host Howard Stern then asked: “Pain-wise, how bad is it to get shot in the face?”
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“I don’t know how to describe that,” Jackson replied, stopping to think before adding: “It’s not as painful as having to visit the dentist repeatedly for a root canal.”
As for whether or not he thought he would die at the time, Jackson went on: “You know it’s a life-threatening situation.
“I've seen people going to the hospital under circumstances that were way less intense and not come out.”
Stern had argued that surely no one had anymore street cred than Jackson after he was shot nine times, but he shrugged the suggestion off.
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He said: "I don’t know what the [criteria is] for street credibility or if there’s something that creates more merit for you.
"I looked at that experience as something that was unfortunate."
Jess Hardiman