50 Cent(Curtis James Jackson III)

50 Cent

50 Cent in concert, 2007

Background information

Birth name Curtis James Jackson III

Born July 6, 1975 (age 35)

Origin South Jamaica, Queens, New York, United States

Genres Hip hop, gangsta rap

Occupations Rapper, actor, entrepreneur, executive producer

Years active 1997–present

Labels G-Unit records/Shady Records/Aftermath

Entertainment/Interscope Records

Associated acts G-Unit, Game, Dr. Dre, Eminem,Sha Money XL, Lloyd

Banks,Tony Yayo

Website 50cent.com

Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper and actor. He rose

to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin'(2003) and The Massacre (2005). Get Rich or Die Tryin has been

certified eight times platinum by the RIAA[1] and has sold over 15 million copies worldwide.[2] His album The Massacre has been

certified five times platinum by the RIAA[1] and has sold 11 million copies worldwide.[3]
Born in South Jamaica, Queens, Jackson began drug dealing at the age of twelve during the 1980s crack epidemic.[4] After leaving

drug dealing to pursue a rap career, he was shot at and struck by nine bullets during an incident in 2000. After releasing his

album Guess Who's Back?in 2002, Jackson was discovered by rapper Eminem and signed to Interscope Records. With the help of

Eminem and Dr. Dre, who produced his first major commercial successes, Jackson became one of the world's highest selling

rappers. In 2003, he founded the record label G-Unit Records, which signed several successful rappers such as Young Buck, Lloyd

Banks, and Tony Yayo.

Jackson has engaged in feuds with other rappers including Ja Rule, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Cam'ron,Rick Ross, and former G-Unit

members The Game and Young Buck. He has also pursued an acting career, appearing in the semi-autobiographical film Get Rich

or Die Tryin' in 2005, the Iraq War film Home of the Brave in 2006, and Righteous Kill in 2008. 50 Cent was ranked as the 6th best

artist of the 2000-2009 decade by Billboard magazine. The magazine also ranked him as the 4th Top male artist and as the 3rd Top

rapper behind Eminem and Nelly.[5] Billboardmagazine also ranked him as the 6th best and most successful Hot 100 Artist of the

2000-2009 decade[6] and as the #1 Rap Song Artist of the 2000-2009 decade.[7] Billboard ranked his albumGet Rich or Die Tryin' as

the 12th best album of the 2000-2009 decade[8] and his album The Massacre as the 37th best album of the 2000-2009 decade.[9]

Life and music career

Early life
Curtis Jackson III grew up in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, in New York City. He grew up without a father and was

raised by his mother, Sabrina, who gave birth to him at the age of fifteen. Sabrina, a cocaine dealer, raised Jackson until the age of

twelve, when she was murdered in 1988. Twenty-seven at the time, she became unconscious after someone drugged her drink.

She was then left for dead after the gas in her apartment was turned on and the windows shut closed.[10][11] After her death, Jackson

moved into his grandparents' house with his eight aunts and uncles.[12][13][14] He recalls, "My grandmother told me, 'Your mother's not

coming home. She's not gonna come back to pick you up. You're gonna stay with us now.' That's when I started adjusting to the

streets a little bit".[15]

Jackson began boxing around the age of eleven. At fourteen, a neighbor opened a boxing gym for local kids. "When I wasn't killing time in

school, I was sparring in the gym or selling crack on the strip", he recalled.[16] In the mid 1980s, he competed in the Junior Olympics as

an amateur boxer. He recounts, "I was competitive in the ring and hip-hop is competitive too... I think rappers condition themselves like boxers,

so they all kind of feel like they're the champ".[17] At the age of twelve, Jackson began dealing narcotics when his grandparents thought he was at

after-school programs.[18] He also took guns and drug money to school. In the tenth grade, he was caught bymetal detectors at Andrew Jackson

High School. He later stated, "I was embarrassed that I got arrested like that... After I got arrested I stopped hiding it. I was telling my

grandmother [openly], 'I sell drugs.'"[15]

On June 29, 1994, Jackson was arrested for helping to sell four vials of cocaine to an undercover police officer. He was arrested

again three weeks later when police searched his home and found heroin, ten ounces of crack cocaine, and a starter gun. He was

sentenced to three to nine years in prison, but managed to serve six months in a shock incarceration boot camp where he earned

hisGED. Jackson said that he did not use cocaine himself, he only sold it.[12][19][20] He adopted the nickname "50 Cent" as

a metaphor for "change".[21] The name was derived from Kelvin Martin, a 1980s Brooklyn robber known as "50 Cent". Jackson chose

the name "because it says everything I want it to say. I'm the same kind of person 50 Cent was. I provide for myself by any means".
[22]

1996–2000: Early career

Jackson started rapping in a friend's basement where he used turntables to record over instrumentals.[23] In 1996, a friend

introduced him toJam Master Jay of Run-DMC who was organizing his label Jam Master Jay Records. Jay taught him how to

count bars, write choruses, structure songs, and how to make a record.[24][25] Jackson's first official appearance was on a song titled

"React" with the group Onyx on their 1998 album Shut 'Em Down. He credited Jam Master Jay as an influence who helped him

improve his ability to write hooks.[17] Jay produced Jackson's first album; however, it was never released.[10] In 1999, after leaving

Jam Master Jay, the platinum-selling producersTrackmasters took notice of Jackson and signed him to Columbia Records. They

sent him to a studio in Upstate New York where he produced thirty-six songs in two weeks.[11] Eighteen were included on his

unofficially released album, Power of the Dollar in 2000.[26] He also started the now-defunct Hollow Point Entertainment with

former G-Unit affiliate Bang 'Em Smurf.[27][28]

Jackson's popularity started to increase after the successful but controversial underground single, "How to Rob", which he wrote in

half an hour while in a car on the way to a studio.[21][29] The track comically explains how he would rob famous artists. He explained

the reasoning behind song's content as, "There's a hundred artists on that label, you gotta separate yourself from that group and

make yourself relevant".[21]Rappers Jay-Z, Kurupt, Sticky Fingaz, Big Pun, DMX, Wyclef Jean and the Wu-Tang Clan replied to the

song[29] and Nas, who received the track positively, invited Jackson to travel on a promotional tour for his Nastradamus album.
[14]
The song was intended to be released with "Thug Love" featuring Destiny's Child, but two days before he was scheduled to film

the "Thug Love" music video, Jackson was shot and confined to a hospital due to his injuries.[30]

2000–01: Shooting
On April 24, 2000, Jackson was attacked by a gunman, alleged to be Darryl "Hommo" Baum, outside his grandmother's former

home in South Jamaica, Queens. He went into a friend's car, but was asked to return to the house to get jewelry. His son was in the

house, while his grandmother was in the front yard.[11] Upon returning to the back seat of the car, another car pulled up nearby. An

assailant then walked up to Jackson's left side with a 9mm handgun and fired nine shots at close range. He was shot nine times: in

the hand (a round hit his right thumb and came out of his little finger), arm, hip, both legs, chest, and left cheek.[10][15][31] The face

wound resulted in a swollen tongue, the loss of a wisdom tooth, and a small slur in his voice.[14][15][32] His friend also sustained a

gunshot wound to the hand. They were driven to the hospital where Jackson spent thirteen days. Baum, the alleged shooter, was

killed three weeks later.[33] Baum was also Mike Tyson's close friend and bodyguard.[34]

Jackson recalled the incident saying, "It happens so fast that you don't even get a chance to shoot back.... I was scared the whole

time.... I was looking in the rear-view mirror like, 'Oh shit, somebody shot me in the face! It burns, burns, burns.'"[15] In his

autobiography, From Pieces to Weight: Once upon a Time in Southside Queens, he wrote, "After I got shot nine times at close

range and didn't die, I started to think that I must have a purpose in life... How much more damage could that shell have done? Give

me an inch in this direction or that one, and I'm gone".[12] He used a walker for the first six weeks and fully recovered after five
months. When he left the hospital, he stayed in the Poconoswith his then-girlfriend and son. His workout regime helped him attain

his muscular physique.[10][15][35]

While in the hospital, Jackson signed a publishing deal with Columbia Records. However, he was dropped from the label and

"blacklisted" in the recording industry because of his song "Ghetto Qu'ran". Unable to find a studio to work with in the U.S, he

traveled to Canada.[36][37]Along with his business partner Sha Money XL, he recorded over thirty songs for mixtapes, with the

purpose of building a reputation. According to Shady Records A&R Marc Labelle in an interview with HitQuarters, Jackson shrewdly

used the mixtape circuit to his own advantage saying, "He took all the hottest beats from every artist and flipped them with better

hooks. They then got into all the markets on the mixtapes and all the mixtape DJs were messing with them."[38] Jackson's popularity

rose and in 2002, he released material independently on the mixtape, Guess Who's Back?. Beginning to attract interest, and now

backed by G-Unit, Jackson continued to release music including 50 Cent Is the Future. The mixtape revisited material by Jay-

Z and Raphael Saadiq.[26]

2002–2009: Rise to fame

In 2002, Eminem listened to a copy of Jackson's Guess Who's Back? CD. He received the CD through Jackson's attorney, who was

working with Eminem's manager Paul Rosenberg.[30] Impressed with the album, Eminem invited Jackson to fly to Los Angeles,

where he was introduced to Dr. Dre.[10][24][30] After signing a $1 million record deal,[24] Jackson released the mixtape, No Mercy, No

Fear. It featured one new track, "Wanksta", which was put on Eminem's 8 Mile soundtrack.[26] He was also signed to Chris

Lighty's Violator Management and Sha Money XL's Money Management Group.

In February 2003, Jackson released his commercial debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin'. Allmusic described it as "probably the most

hyped debut album by a rap artist in about a decade".[39] Rolling Stone noted the album for its "dark synth grooves, buzzy keyboards

and a persistently funky bounce" with Jackson complementing the production in "an unflappable, laid-back flow".[40] It debuted at

number one on the Billboard 200, selling 872,000 copies in the first four days.[41] The lead single, "In da Club", which The

Source noted for its "blaring horns, funky organs, guitar riffs and sparse hand claps",[42] broke a Billboard record as the most

listened-to song in radio history within a week.[43]

Interscope granted Jackson his own label, G-Unit Records in 2003.[44] He signed Lloyd Banks,Tony Yayo, and Young Buck as the

established members of G-Unit. The Game was later signed under a joint venture with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. In March

2005, Jackson's second commercial album, The Massacre, sold 1.14 million copies in the first four days-the highest in an

abbreviated sales cycle[41]- and peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 for six weeks.[45] He became the first solo artist to have

three singles on the Billboard top five in the same week with "Candy Shop", "Disco Inferno", and "How We Do".[46] Rolling

Stone noted that "50's secret weapon is his singing voice - the deceptively amateur-sounding tenor croon that he deploys on almost

every chorus".[47]
After The Game's departure, Jackson signed singerOlivia and rap veterans Mobb Deep to G-Unit Records.Spider Loc, M.O.P., 40

Glocc and Young Hot Rod later joined the label.[48][49] Jackson expressed interest in working with rappers outside of G-Unit, such

as Lil' Scrappy of BME, LL Cool J from Def Jam, Mase from Bad Boy, and Freeway of Roc-A-Fella, some of whom he recorded

with.[50] In September 2007, he released his third album Curtis, which was inspired by his life before Get Rich or Die Tryin'.[51] It

debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 691,000 units in the first week,[52] behind Kanye West's Graduation, whom he

had a sales competition with, as both albums were released on the same day. He confirmed on TRL on September 10, 2008 that his

fourth studio album, Before I Self Destruct, will be "done and released in November". On May 18, 2009, Jackson released a song

entitled "Ok, You're Right". The song was produced by Dr. Dre and will be included in Before I Self Destruct. In Fall 2009, 50 Cent

appeared in the new season ofVH1's Behind The Music. On September 3, 2009 months upon the release of his "Before I Self

Destruct" album 50 Cent posted a video [53] for the Soundkillers' Phoenix [54] produced track "Flight 187" which introduced his

mixtape, the 50th LAW, and was also featured as a bonus track on his iTunes release of Before I Self Destruct. The song ignited

speculation that there was tension between rapper 50 Cent and Jay Z for Jackson's comments in the song.[55]

2010–present: New direction

In an interview with the British entertainment website ContactMusic, 50 Cent announced that he was working on a dance

(primarilyEurodance) album named Black Magic. 50 Cent said he was inspired by the European nightclubs. "First they played hip-

hop which suddenly changed to uptempo songs, known as Eurodance".[56] Later however, he confirmed that he had shelved Black

Magic in favor of writing new material that did not fit the concept of Black Magic. He did confirm that he is working on his yet-to-be-

titled fifth studio album.[57][58]

He went on The Invitation Tour in the summer of 2010, in support of Before I Self Destruct album, and the shelved Black

Magic album. On September 3, 50 Cent showed support to longtime mentor Eminem, and appeared on his and Jay-Z's Home &

Home Tour, performing hit songs such as "Crack A Bottle," alongside his longtime mentors Eminem and Dr. Dre, amidst rumors that

50 was no longer working with Dre.[59][60]

50 Cent appeared on Michael Jackson's posthumous album Michael. He co-wrote and rapped on the song "Monster."

50 Cent recently discussed his next album while on the set of Jeremih's new music video. Referring to recent leaks as "ideas," the

G-Unit leader says the new project is his "Detox Album" and it "may take ten years." He also says that he "recorded 20 songs to a

whole different album concept" before he put those to the side and did something different. Planning to record and write until it feels

perfect, 50 says that "its important to put out the right sound for that moment." 50 Cent finished up with a little self-confidence saying

simply, "there is no one in Hip Hop that possesses the ability to do what I do."[61]

Non-musical projects

Jackson has established himself in a variety of fields. In November 2003, he signed a five year deal with Reebok to distribute a "G-

Unit Sneakers" line as part of his G-Unit Clothing Company.[62][63] He provided the voice-over as the protagonist in the video

game, 50 Cent: Bulletproof, which was released for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and the PlayStation Portable. Its sequel, 50 Cent: Blood on

the Sand, was released in early 2009.[64][65] He worked with Glacéau to create a Vitamin Water drink called Formula 50. In
2007, Coca-Cola purchased Glacéau forUS$4.1 billion. Forbes estimated Jackson, who owns a stake in the company, earned $100

million from the deal after taxes.[66] He has teamed up with Right Guard to launched a body spray called Pure 50 RGX Body Spray

and a condom line called Magic Stick Condoms,[67]in which he planned to donate part of the proceeds to HIV awareness.[68] Jackson

has signed a multi-year deal with Steiner Sports to sell his memorabilia.[69]

In 2005, Jackson made a cameo appearance on The Simpsons episode "Pranksta Rap", in which he makes light of his legal

troubles. The same year, he starred alongside Terrence Howard in the semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin'. He starred

in the 2006 film, Home of the Brave, as a soldier returning home from the Iraq War, traumatized after killing an Iraqi woman.
[70]
Jackson is working on a role as a fighter in an Angola State Prison in Spectacular Regret alongside Nicolas Cage, and starred

opposite Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in 2008'sRighteous Kill, a movie regarding a police death.[71] He also started the film

production companies G-Unit Films in 2007 and Cheetah Vision in 2008.[72][73] In August 2007, Jackson announced plans to launch a

dietary supplement company in conjunction with his movie Spectacular Regret.[74]

In August, 2005, shortly before appearing in Get Rich or Die Tryin', Jackson published an autobiography entitled From Pieces to

Weight: Once upon a Time in Southside Queens. In it Jackson explores the cultural and economic forces that led him to sell cocaine

and crack, details his entrepreneurship as a drug-dealer and then as a rapper, and reflects on his own ethos and on society. On

January 4, 2007, Jackson launched his G-Unit Books imprint at the Time Warner Building.[75] He also co-wrote The Ski Mask Way, a

novel about a small-time drug dealer who attempts to rob his employers, which is to be turned into a film.[68] Jackson said he

read Robert Greene's The 33 Strategies of War and worked with the author on a book titled The 50th Law, an urban take on The 48

Laws of Power.[68][76] In May 2008, Jackson met billionaire Patrice Motsepe to forge a joint venture selling 50 Cent-branded platinum.
[77]

In 2008, Jackson started a reality television show on MTV titled 50 Cent: The Money and the Power; the winning contestant, Ryan

Mayberry, won a $100,000 investment from Jackson.[78]

In 2010, Jackson's film company Cheetah Vision landed $200 million in funding.[79]

Personal life

On October 13, 1997, Jackson's then-girlfriend Shaniqua Tompkins gave birth to a son, Marquise Jackson.[4][80] Tompkins later sued

Jackson for $50 million dollars, claiming that he said that he would take care of her for life; the suit, which includes 15 claims was

later dismissed by a judge, calling it "an unfortunate tale of a love relationship gone sour."[81] As of February 2009, Tompkins' and

her lawyer are considering an appeal.[82]

The birth of his son changed Jackson's outlook on life: "When my son came into my life, my priorities changed, because I wanted to

have the relationship with him, that I didn't have with my father."[83] He credited his son for inspiring his career and being "motivation

to go in a different direction".[84]

Jackson has a tattoo of "Marquise" with an axe on his right biceps. "The axe is 'cause I'm a warrior. I don't want him to be one,

though, he explains. He also has "50", "Southside", and "Cold World" inscribed on his back because "I'm a product of that
environment. It's on my back, though, so it's all behind me."[37] Jackson dated actress Vivica A. Fox in 2003. After a few months, he

announced their split up on The Howard Stern Show when pictures from a photo shoot they did ended up on the cover of Today's

Black Woman magazine without his knowledge.[85][86]

In 2005, Jackson expressed support for President George W. Bush after rapper Kanye West criticized him for the slow response in

assisting the Hurricane Katrina victims.[87] If his felony convictions did not prevent him from voting, he claimed he would have voted

for Bush.[88] He later stated that Bush "has less compassion than the average human. By all means, I don't aspire to be like George

Bush."[89]

In 2007, Forbes recognized Jackson for his wealth, placing him second behind Jay-Z in the rap industry.[90] He resides

in Farmington, Connecticut, in the former mansion of ex-boxer Mike Tyson.[91] He put the mansion for sale at $18.5 million to move

closer to his son who lives in Long Island with his ex-girlfriend.[92] On October 12, 2007, the Mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut

declared it "50 Cent Curtis Jackson Day". He was honored with a key to the city and an official proclamation.[93] One of his homes in

New York purchased for 2.4 million dollars in January 2007 and at the center of a lawsuit between Jackson and ex-girlfriend

Shaniqua Tompkins caught fire on May 31, 2008 while he was out of town filming for a movie in Louisiana.[94]

In December 2008 50 told the Canadian press that he had been affected by the recession, losing several million dollars on the stock

market. He also went on to say that he had been unable to sell his Connecticut mansion and pushed Before I Self-Destruct back

because of the recent economic downturn.[95]

In November 2009, 50 Cent won in a lawsuit against Taco Bell over the fast food chain using his name to promote the brand without

his permission.[96]

Lawsuit

On July 21, 2007, Jackson filed a $1 million lawsuit against advertising company Traffix Inc. of Pearl River, New York for using his

image in a promotion which he claims threatens his safety. He became aware of the internet ad after one of his staff members saw it

on a MySpacepage. According to court documents, the ad features a cartoon image of the rapper and the message: "shoot the

rapper and you will win $5000 or five ring tones guaranteed". Though the ad did not use his name, the image allegedly intended to

resemble him, suggesting he endorsed the ad. The lawsuit calls it a "vile, tasteless and despicable" use of 50 Cent's image that

"quite literally calls for violence against him". The lawsuit seeks for unspecified punitive damages and a permanent injunction

against the use of his image without permission.[138][139]

Discography

 Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003)

 The Massacre (2005)

 Curtis (2007)

 Before I Self Destruct (2009)

 Fifth studio album (2011)

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes

2003 50 Cent: The New Breed Himself Documentary DVD

The Simpsons Himself TV series (one episode: "Pranksta Rap")

2005 Get Rich or Die Tryin' Marcus Film debut

50 Cent: Bulletproof Himself Video game, voice only

2006 Home of the Brave Jamal Aiken Supporting Role

De La Hoya/Mayweather 24/7 Himself TV series (one episode: "Episode #1.1")

2007

6teen Himself TV series (One Episode: Season 3 Episode 1: Sweet 6teen)

Righteous Kill Spider Supporting Role

2008 Before I Self Destruct Clarence Supporting Role

50 Cent: The Money and the Power Himself TV series (one episode: "Choose Your Crew Wisely")

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand Himself Video game, voice only

Streets of Blood Stan Johnson Completed

Entourage Himself TV series (one episode: "One Car, Two Car, Red Car, Blue Car")

2009 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2[140][141] Soldier Video game, voice only

Dead Man Running Thigo Post-production

Everything's Alright Amos Jenks In production

Caught in the Crossfire Tino Post-production, executive producer

 13 Jimmy Post-production

The Dance[142] Announced Pre-Production

Love Me, Love Me Not Himself Pre-production

The Ski Mask Way Seven Pre-production

2010

Twelve Lionel Supporting Role

Jekyll and Hyde Pre-production

Morning Glory Himself In production

Vengeance Black Post-production

Gun Rich Post-production

2011

Blood Out Hardwick filming

TBA Things Fall Apart[143] Unknown In production