Normally, artists/celebs’ investments tend to jam up on ‘em like old nines. They either get down with bad/poorly researched companies (Hammer) or they hold onto ‘em way too long (think: William Shatner and Priceline.com… Sly, Bruce, and Ahnold’s PlanetHollywood venture)… But every now and then, some of ‘em get it right (think: the Olsen twins, Raven Simone, Hov).

Add Curtis Jackson to the Get Right list.

When Fif took stock options over cash for his Glacéau (makers of VitaminWater) deal back in '03, Glacèauwas still relative unknown in the beverage game; but their rep was bubbling. (Plus they were in the right sector: water. Clean water's in increasingly short supply globally and Glacéau’s got mad water-rights on lock up the wazoo.) Anyway, they gave Mr. Jackson 10% of the company against talent fees for pushing the brand in America. The company markets and distributes a grape flavored energy drink inspired by 50 Cent named "Formula 50."

Last week, Coca-Cola bought Glacéau for $4.1 billion, lock stock, pipes, filters and H20. Why? Coke's in trouble. The carbonated categories are saturated and struggling. Corn-syrup's a beast on the bottom line these days. You also gotta understand that a good 40% of Coke's revenue and profits come from its water and non-carbonated beverages. So Coke needed a pick-me up like this. But 4.1 might've been too steep, even for a top draft pick, but...

Now India-based Tata Tea owns about 30% of Glacéau, so they’ll get a fat check for $1.2 billie just to bow out. That leaves about $2.9 (give or take) for Glacéau’s core owners (they're not publicly traded); and with Curtis owning 10% of this G-unit , he’s looking at a good $250 mill haul.

Lemme run that back:

Fid could pocket upwards of $250 million by summer off this one deal alone, assuming these numbers are accurate. Combine this with his Interscope money and his Game/G-Unit loot, and this kid could be worth half a bill by Christmas, album or no album. At the very least, he’s about to bow out the game. (And you thought that brotha from Marcy was on his grind.)

Now if he’s smart, he’ll cash out as much as possible and get liquid asap. Cuz personally, I think Coke’s gonna strip-mine Glacéau for its water rights and sell everything else off. Then again they may flip this joint in bout 5 years. After all, Coke's got one of this sickest distribution chains this side of crack (and Wrigleys gum), so they might be able to strong arm this brand onto the shelves and into something special. But it won't be an overnight celeb thing, either way.

Anyway, this is what you call hustlin' kiddies.

On a more sober note:

Hard to tell a cat who's made some of the most violent, misogynistic, corrosive, stereotypical and addictive musick since 80s hair bands in the name of feeding the hustle that is the neo-colonized urban music industry that he's making wrong moves. I mean, Curtis has gone from the crack game to the poison pen to the upper 5-percent in less than 7 years.

When you succeed like this, how do you convince every 10-15 year old in the hood that this ain't the way to go? How can you convince emcees that feeding The Hustle is wrong when the results can be so globally right?

Kid's creepin' up on Will Smith numbers (and he didn't have FP's M.I.T. option or upbringing). How do you tell this cat he was wrong for this?

How do you tell Jeezy, Dipset, Luda, Jay, et al not to do what they're doing when it's gotten them further than they've ever dreamed?

How do you tell Bob Johnson and the higher-ups to make BET anything other than what it is when he got $3 Billion for giving an outlet to some of the most stereotypical and toxic imagery possible (thanks largely to madison aves support)?

How do you tell a cat on the come-up, in any arena, not to take shorts like these when the rewards are so much more bountiful than going the other route?

Conversely, pick your most positive constructive artists... Not Rakim, not Common not mary j. Blige, not even L-Boogie at their highest heights couldn't get the corporate deals THE HUSTLE dolls out to the black entertainment's most negative artists. Hell, The Roots can't even break 800,000 even with payola. (And again, even Will had to go to Bel-Aire and Burbank to get his.)

And to everyone out there who drops Oprah as a role model I ask this: Would she be where she is without her willingness to play neo-mammy for condescneding suburban soccermoms, 90% of whom would never have anyone like her as a neighbor? (And don't get me started on Tiger "just give 'em golf clubs" Woods and Michael "Republicans buy sneakers, too" Jordan.)

Now I only dropped the most mainstream-friendly names possible to make this point: The Hustle's on a mission and it just got stronger.

And that's the beauty of THE HUSTLE. It's evolving ability to blind you to the how, just enough to keep you focused on the who's and what's... And if you're obedient, you'll get what you want. more or less.

And you'll leave everyone else wondering what are we fighting for.