50 Cent

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14 Feb 2024

50 Cent

Curtis James Jackson III, born on July 6, 1975, and professionally recognized as 50 Cent, stands out as an accomplished American artist, actor, television producer, and entrepreneur. Originating from South Jamaica, a district in Queens, Jackson commenced his musical journey in 1996. During the early 2000s, he crafted his inaugural album, "Power of the Dollar," under Columbia Records. Unfortunately, a shooting incident in May of the same year, where he endured nine bullets, led to the cancellation of the album's release and his departure from the label. In 2002, Jackson unveiled the mixtape "Guess Who's Back?" and later garnered attention from Eminem, ultimately signing with Shady Records, a division of Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records.

His breakthrough into the mainstream came with the release of "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" in 2003, receiving both critical acclaim and commercial triumph by dominating the Billboard 200 chart. The album produced chart-toppers like "In da Club" and "21 Questions" (featuring Nate Dogg), earning him nonuple platinum certification from the RIAA. Simultaneously, he established his label, G-Unit Records, named after the hip-hop group he formed earlier, comprising fellow East Coast artists Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo. The subsequent album, "The Massacre" (2005), enjoyed parallel success with hit singles such as "Candy Shop" (featuring Olivia). Jackson experimented with a more commercially-driven approach in his third and fourth albums, "Curtis" (2007) and "Before I Self Destruct" (2009), which faced both critical and commercial downturns. His fifth album, "Animal Ambition" (2014), aimed at revisiting his musical roots.

Beyond his musical endeavors, Jackson delved into television and media, taking on executive-producing and starring roles in the series "Power" (2014–2020) and its spin-offs under G-Unit Films and Television Inc. With over 30 million albums sold worldwide, Jackson has earned several accolades, including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and numerous Billboard, World Music, American Music, and BET Awards. As an actor, he graced films such as "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" (2005), "Home of the Brave" (2006), and "Righteous Kill" (2008). Billboard recognized him as the 17th best rapper of all time in their "50 Greatest Rappers" list in 2023, and he secured the sixth position among the top artists of the 2000s decade. Rolling Stone acknowledged the impact of "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" and "In da Club," ranking them at numbers 37 and 13, respectively, in their "100 Best Albums of the 2000s" and "100 Best Songs of the 2000s" lists.

Jackson's roots trace back to the borough of Queens, New York City, where he grew up in the South Jamaica neighborhood under the care of his mother, Sabrina, a figure involved in the drug trade. Tragically, Jackson lost his mother in a fire when he was only eight years old, leaving him in the care of his grandparents. In a candid interview, he disclosed that his mother identified as a lesbian.
Facing the absence of both parents, Jackson's upbringing took a challenging turn. He discovered his passion for boxing around the age of 11, and by 14, a neighbor established a boxing gym for local youth, providing an outlet for Jackson's energy. Reflecting on his youth, Jackson recalled splitting his time between sparring in the gym and engaging in illicit activities on the streets, including selling crack.

His involvement in narcotics began at the tender age of 12, unbeknownst to his grandparents, who believed he was participating in after-school programs. The situation escalated as he started bringing guns and drug money to school. The reality of his actions caught up with him in the tenth grade when metal detectors at Andrew Jackson High School led to his arrest. Despite the embarrassment, Jackson decided to openly admit to his grandmother that he was involved in drug dealing.

In 1994, at the age of 19, Jackson faced a serious legal ordeal after being arrested for selling cocaine to an undercover officer. Three weeks later, a search of his home revealed heroin, ten ounces of crack cocaine, and a starting pistol. Although sentenced to three to nine years in prison, Jackson served only six months in a boot camp and successfully earned his GED. Notably, he asserted that he never used cocaine himself.
The moniker "50 Cent" became a symbolic representation of transformation for Jackson. Inspired by Kelvin Martin, a notorious Brooklyn figure from the 1980s known as "50 Cent," Jackson chose the name because it encapsulated the change he wanted to embody. He likened himself to the original 50 Cent, emphasizing his self-sufficiency and determination to provide for himself through any means necessary.

Jackson's journey into the world of rap began in a friend's basement, where he utilized turntables to lay down his verses over instrumentals. The pivotal moment came in 1996 when a friend introduced him to Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC, who was in the process of establishing Jam Master Jay Records. Under Jay's mentorship, Jackson learned the intricacies of counting bars, crafting choruses, song structuring, and the art of making records. His initial exposure to the music scene occurred on the track "React" with Onyx, featured on their 1998 album "Shut 'Em Down." Jam Master Jay not only improved Jackson's hook-writing skills but also produced his first, albeit unreleased, album.

In 1999, Jackson's path took a turn when the platinum-selling producers Trackmasters signed him to Columbia Records after his departure from Jam Master Jay's wing. Tasked with producing 36 songs in two weeks at an upstate New York studio, Jackson successfully included 18 of them in his 2000 album, "Power of the Dollar." Simultaneously, he co-founded Hollow Point Entertainment with former G-Unit member Bang 'Em Smurf.
His rise to prominence began with the release of the controversial underground single "How to Rob" in 1999. Crafted in a brief car ride to the studio, the track humorously detailed how he would rob established artists. Notably, Jay-Z, Kurupt, Sticky Fingaz, Big Pun, DMX, Wyclef Jean, and the Wu-Tang Clan responded to the track, with Nas even inviting Jackson to join him on his Nastradamus tour.

However, Jackson's ascent faced a critical setback. Two days before filming the music video for "Thug Love" with Destiny's Child, he was shot and hospitalized on May 24, 2000, outside his grandmother's former home in South Jamaica. The assailant fired nine shots at close range, hitting Jackson in the hand, arm, hip, legs, chest, and left cheek. The shooter, Darryl "Homicide" Baum, was killed three weeks later. Remarkably, Jackson survived, reflecting on the incident as a realization of a greater purpose in life.
Recovering from gunshot wounds, Jackson faced professional challenges. He signed a publishing deal with Columbia Records in the hospital but was later dropped and blacklisted by the recording industry due to his controversial song "Ghetto Qu'ran." Forced to work in Canada, he, along with business partner Sha Money XL, recorded over thirty songs for mixtapes, strategically using the mixtape circuit to build his reputation. This period marked the release of "Guess Who's Back?" in 2002, followed by "50 Cent Is the Future" backed by G-Unit, a mixtape revisiting material by Jay-Z and Raphael Saadiq. These efforts further solidified Jackson's growing popularity.