50 Cent

Fun Fact: In the 2000 Power of a Dollar hit “How to Rob,” 50 had words for his future industry peer Jay-Z: “What, Jigga just sold like 4 mil? / He got something to live for / don’t want no nigga putting four thru that Bentley Coupe door.”

Claim to Fame: 50 Cent released "Officer Ricky (Go Head, Try Me)" in response to Rick Ross' disparaging remarks days earlier on "Mafia Music." On February 2nd 50 upped the ante and posted a video on YouTube where he interviews Tia, Rick Ross' baby's mama. She verifies his being a correctional officer and claims his whole persona is fake.

Curtis James Jackson III better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre. Both albums achieved multi-platinum success, selling more than twenty-one million copies combined.

Born in South Jamaica, Queens, 50 Cent began drug dealing at the age of twelve during the 1980s crack epidemic. 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, 50 Cent 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?he 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.

50 Cent has engaged in feuds with other rappers including Ja Rule, Young Buck, The Game, Cam'ron, Fat Joe, and Rick Ross. 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 is one of the richest hip-hop performers, having a net worth estimated at US $440 million in 2008.

The word "50" in 50 Cent is sometimes pronounced or even written as fiddy.



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. After her death, Jackson moved into his grandparents' house with his eight aunts and uncles. 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".

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