50 Cent claims his wealthy image is just an act.

The ‘Candy Shop’ hitmaker, who filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week, says his lavish lifestyle is completely manufactured and he has rented or borrowed everything from a fleet of luxury cars to diamond jewellery to help him keep up appearances.

The 40-year-old star appeared in Manhattan’s Supreme Court today (22.07.15) to discuss his finances after being ordered to pay a woman $5 million for releasing her sex tape without her permission, and told the judge: “It’s entertainment.

“Those cars were rented.”

The rapper also “borrowed” many other luxurious items, including expensive diamond jewellery, as he only owns “a few gold chains” and “three or four watches” himself, according to the New York Daily News.

50 Cent also claimed he only receives 10 cents per record for his music sales and earned a modest $100,000 for each of his acting roles in ‘Spy’ and ‘Southpaw’.

However, he later admitted to having signed an $80 million deal with Reebok, a $78 million deal with an underwear company and earned $23 million from Interscope Records, as well as owning a 17-acre estate in Connecticut with 21 bedrooms.

The rapper previously insisted he only filed for bankruptcy to protect his assets.

He explained: “You get a bullseye painted on your back when you’re successful, and it’s public, you become the ideal person for lawsuits.”