November 20, 2008 16:02

Taco Bell accuse 50 Cent of embellishing gangsta persona

Company says he's a 'self-described former drug dealer and hustler'

50 Cent has been accused of embellishing his tough-guy image by fast-food chain Taco Bell after filing a federal lawsuit in Manhattan.

The company responded in court documents to the suit filed by the star in June for trademark infringement.

Taco Bell say that the rapper is trying to embellish "his gangsta rapper persona by distorting beyond all recognition a bona fide, good faith offer".

They called him a "self-described former drug dealer and hustler" in notes to Manhattan Federal Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald, reports the New York Daily News.

In June, Taco Bell challenged the rapper to change his name from 50 Cent to 79, 89 or 99 Cent as part of a value meal promotion at the chain, and to stop by a branch of the restaurant to order food using his new name. The chain said they would donate $10,000 to a charity of his choice if he agreed.

But a spokesperson for the rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, called the offer "a sleazy and ill-conceived publicity stunt by Taco Bell's president, Greg Creed, whose disingenuous offer was leaked to the press before it was even presented to 50 Cent's agent".

--By our New York staff.
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