Was 50 Cent's Awful First Pitch A PR Stunt? Blooper Corresponds With New Album 'Animal Ambition' Release Date [VIDEO]

On Tuesday night, rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson was ridiculed on social media after throwing out an awful first pitch before a game between the New York Mets and the Pittsburgh Pirates. But a video of Jackson’s pre-pitch warm-up, coupled with the release date of his upcoming album, suggests that his terrible throw may have been a PR stunt.

50 Cent’s first pitch at Citi Field ended up closer to the first-base dugout than the catcher’s glove. The rapper laughed as he left the mound, aware that his throw would go down in baseball infamy. However, a video obtained by TMZ Sports shows the 38-year-old making a perfectly accurate throw during his pre-game warm-up.

The disparity between the two throws raises the possibility that 50 Cent, whose new album “Animal Ambition” is slated to hit stores on June 3, may have purposely botched his opening pitch in order to generate publicity.

Jackson’s awful first pitch went viral on social media within minutes, and the blooper is sure to earn plenty of airtime on ESPN and other major sports programs—just in time to boost sales of “Animal Ambition.”

50 Cent is a notoriously savvy businessman; in addition to his successful rap career, Jackson earned $100 million when Coca-Cola purchased his stake in VitaminWater in 2007. Forbes reported that his net worth in 2014 is $140 million. Given his business acumen, the throw could have been a calculated move to draw attention to his new music.

Furthermore, Jackson’s career in music has waned in recent years. His first two albums—“Get Rich or Die Tryin’” and “The Massacre”—were considered massive hits, but his most recent work has been far less successful, both critically and commercially. "Before I Self Destruct," a 2009 release, remained on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop for just 20 weeks, compared to 88 weeks for "Get Rich or Die Tryin'."

Jackson did poke fun at himself for the bad throw, but he isn't likely to reveal whether or not it was a PR move, so it's probably impossible to know for sure.

Do you think 50 Cent’s awful first pitch was a publicity stunt? Sound off in the comments section below.