Shreveport Mayor Challenges 50 Cent To Deliver

Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux challenged 50 Cent to deliver on his studio commitments, rejecting the rapper’s claim that City Hall had not backed him.

“Well, we have been most accommodating to Mr. Jackson from the very beginning, and now it’s time for him to perform,” Arceneaux told KSLA.

The mayor declined to comment on October 14, according to city communications director Leigh Anne Evensky.

Arceneaux said he wanted a return call and that no contract had been signed for the separate Red River District proposal. He said his call months earlier remained unanswered.

On “The Crew Has It,” 50 had questioned pouring more money into Shreveport without city support. He also said he still intended to do the work he had promised. He wanted recognition as a business owner and said earlier broken promises had made residents doubt new plans.

Red River is the city-owned entertainment area beneath the Texas Street Bridge. That proposal is separate from the larger studio plan. Inspections had found major repairs were needed there, and G-Unit wanted that work addressed before moving ahead.

The larger plan involved three sites, not just the riverfront entertainment area. Louisiana Economic Development’s January 12 announcement outlined more than $124 million in planned investment. Stageworks would be renovated for live events and production, Millennium Studios would be modernized, and a new dome-style immersive venue and park would be built downtown.

The state agreed to provide up to $50 million for eligible infrastructure and modernization work. That was performance-based support, tied to economic impact, local business involvement and delivery of the improvements.

An oversight body, the Shreveport Film & Entertainment Economic Development Corporation, was set up to work with the state agency on accountability for the project and its funds.

City Hall’s January 13 statement welcomed the state-backed plan while saying it required no additional municipal money. It put the estimated Millennium Studios investment at $78 million and Stageworks at $24 million, noting that both properties were leased to G-Unit.

There was already a separate Stageworks lease: the city and 50 signed it on June 6, 2025, for productions, events and multimedia work.