It seems that 50 Cent’s star has been dimming a bit lately. Just a few years ago the platinum-selling rapper with the million dollar smile was riding high, and though his assets remain robust, his notoriety may be waning.

His last album, Curtis, was upstaged by Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak despite his beef-heavy marketing strategy. His latest video game Blood in the Sand is doing recession numbers and his acting performances have been widely dismissed. Somehow he is still landing roles, such as the alter-ego of Forrest Whitaker in the forthcoming Jekyll and Hyde flick (thanks Chris Lighty), but apparently some executives are starting to treat him as the bust he is.

For instance, Anchor Bay Films just bought 50′s latest flick, Streets of Blood, also starring Val Kilmer and Sharon Stone, and will release it straight to DVD.  Having your movie go to straight to DVD confirms that no studio thinks you have enough pull to bring in an audience, essentially relegating you to Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen status.

50 is trying to regain his relevance by pushing his next album, Before I Self Destruct, in conjunction with Eminem’s Relapse and Dr. Dre’s Detox (all supposedly dropping this year), but the fact that he needs to be marketed as part of a package is not a good sign.

Even Em and Dre may not be able to save Curtis this time, just as Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro couldn’t save his performance in Righteous Kill and Val Kilmer and Sharon Stone could do little to rescue the fate of Streets of Blood.

BUT, if you are one of the thirteen people (besides Rick Ross) itching to see 50 portray a police officer, Streets of Blood is slated to be released on July 28th, 2009. The new trailer can be seen below.

-Lukas Brekke-Miesner