… then he thought of his youngest son, Daniel, a video director known in the rap music business as Dan the Man. At the time Dan the Man was working for 50 Cent’s G-Unit label, making the videos for “The Massacre (Special Edition).” He arranged for his business partner, DJ Whoo Kid — 50 Cent’s D.J. — to visit Mr. Melamid’s studio, then in SoHo, to pose for a trial portrait.
After that, 50 Cent paid a visit. He sat in a chair, rapping, while Dan the Man shot video and Mr. Melamid made preparatory sketches and photographs. The resulting portrait, which Mr. Melamid said took about a month to figure out, shows the rapper slouched in the chair, looking slightly wary. (The work, together with Mr. Melamid’s brush and palette, appear in the video for 50 Cent’s “God Gave Me Style.”) …