50 Cent (Curtis James Jackson) is an American rapper, actor, producer, and entrepreneur.He began a musical career and in 2000 he produced Power of the Dollar for Columbia Records, but days before the planned release he was shot and the album was never released. In 2002, after Jackson released the compilation album Guess Who’s Back?, he was discovered by Eminem and signed to Shady Records, under the aegis of Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records.With the help of Eminem and Dr. Dre (who produced his first major-label album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’), Jackson became one of the world’s best selling rappers and rose to prominence with East Coast hip hop group G-Unit (which he leads de facto). In 2003, he founded G-Unit Records, signing his G-Unit associates Young Buck, Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo. Jackson had similar commercial and critical success with his second album, The Massacre, which was released in 2005. He released his fifth studio album, Animal Ambition, in 2014 and as of 2019 is working on his sixth studio album, Street King Immortal.During his career Jackson has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and won several awards, including a Grammy Award, thirteen Billboard Music Awards, six World Music Awards, three American Music Awards and four BET Awards. He has pursued an acting career, appearing in the semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2005), the Iraq War film Home of the Brave (2006) and Righteous Kill (2008).
50 Cent
Movies
Fun Facts
Is involved in a feud with fellow rapper Ja Rule.
Is signed to Eminem's Shady Records imprint, distributed by Interscope Records.
Has one son: Marquise Jackson aka 25 Cent.
His debut album "Get Rich or Die Tryin'"" was the highest debut ever with 900,000 copies sold in the first week.
His mother was killed at age 23, when he was just eight years old.
Was discovered by Jam Master Jay.
Voted #8 on VH1's 100 Hottest Hotties
Used to be a boxer
Neither drinks alcohol nor smokes. 50 has stated in multiple interviews that after peddling drugs on the street for money (but never partaking himself), he saw how drugs, alcohol and smoking were adversely affecting his close relatives, so he made a conscious decision to change not only himself by finding legitimate means of making money, but also abstaining from the things that were destroying his relatives.
He bought former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson's Farmington, CT, mansion for $4.1 million. The house is approximately 50,000 sq. ft., has 52 rooms and was bought by Tyson for $2.7 million (1996). Its features include five Jacuzzis, 25 full baths, 18 bedrooms, an elevator, two billiard rooms, a movie theater and a locker room.
Recorded an album titled ""Power of the Dollar"" (1999) but this was shelved by Columbia Records due to his legal problems at the time.
Released a series of street mixtapes (2002). They became so popular that Eminem heard them and signed him to his record label. Even after his success, 50 Cent still releases street mixtapes on a regular basis.
His album ""The Massacre"" was originally titled ""St. Valentine's Day Massacre"" and set for a February 15, 2005, release date, but production problems forced this to be set back to March 8, 2005.
Was accompanied by actress Vivica A. Fox to the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards.
Created a dance known as the ""two step"".
His favorite actor is Charlie Sheen.
His cartoon-like photo on the cover of his album ""The Massacre"" was meant to make him look like a Ninja Turtle, his son's favorite cartoon characters. He is also a huge fan of the cartoon, his favorite turtle being Donatello.
His group, G-Unit, includes Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks. Young Buck and Game were once members but a well-publicized feud developed.
Raised in Queens, New York City by his grandparents.
Named among Fade In magazine's ""100 People in Hollywood You Need to Know"". [2005]
Was #8 on the annual Forbes magazine Celebrity 100 list. [2006]
Forbes magazine estimated his earnings for the year at $33 million. [2007]
Jackson was hurt in a car crash on New York's Long Island Expressway on the night of June 25, 2012. A Mack truck rear-ended the bullet-proof SUV that he was traveling in and almost caused his vehicle to flip over, reported the New York Post. Jackson suffered neck and back injuries, but was released from the hospital within hours. His unidentified driver was also hospitalized.
Friends with Darryl McDaniels, Ciara, Mike Tyson, Tyrese Gibson, Mya, Bette Midler and Sha Money X.L..
His estimated net worth is $270 million.
Bought himself a Rolls Royce Phantom for his 43rd birthday ($588,000 est) shortly after settling a bankruptcy debt of over $22M.
Made his directorial debut with Power: Forgot About Dre (2019), a series on which he also served as an actor and Executive Producer.
In 2000, when 50 Cent was at his grandmother's house, he was shot nine times. Paramedics took him to the hospital and he made a miraculous recovery.
He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6250 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on January 30, 2020.
CEO and founder of SMS Promotions. Founder of G-Unit Records, G-Unit Films, G-Unit Books, G-Unit Clothing and G-Unity Foundation."
Quotes
The only thing that I'm scared of is not livin' up to the expectations of Dr. Dre and Eminem.
[on his feud with rapper Ja Rule] Right now he's desperate. He should be talking about me, not Eminem and Dr. Dre and everybody else. He will lose, he knows that. The route that he has to take is the "I'm a mad gangsta"" hardcore route, and ain't nobody gonna believe him.
In Hollywood, they say there's no business like show business. In the hood, they say there's no business like ho' business.
I'm not trying to save the world. As a musician and artist, it just ain't me.
A man becomes as attractive as an attractive woman when he becomes successful and is publicly noted. Power is an aphrodisiac.
I think it's easier for the general public to embrace me in a negative way. You have people who already have a perception of me that says I'm a bad person.
I don't display emotions. I have every feeling that everyone else has but I've developed ways to suppress them. Anger is one of my most comfortable feelings.
In my neighborhood if you're too aggressive, you intimidate someone, they kill you. Or if you decide to be emotional and you start crying, you're a victim. You know, the kid in the schoolyard that doesn't want to fight always leaves with a black eye. You have to find a way to stay in the middle, somewhere where people just don't mess with you because they know that you don't have a problem with it if it goes there.
[on his feuds with many of his fellow rappers, such as Nas, Jadakiss, Fat Joe, Shyne, Game, Ja Rule, Sheek Louch and Styles P, among others] If they keep comin' at me, I'll just keep responding back until they don't exist anymore. I got the time and energy to ruin what is left of their careers, if they want to do that.
A lot of kids join the army to get a college education. That's why they do it, and they get sent into these horrible situations.
I got a chance to watch a lot of my mother's sisters and brothers at different periods experiment with the use of drugs or alcohol and I see them respond so differently that I stay away...I've had an experience (with alcohol) that made me paranoid because of it and I stayed away from it following that.
I'm a Narcissist, right? And I don't care how you feel.
When you get hurt as bad as I got hurt, When I got hit, ether your fear consumes you or you become insensitive."