50 Cent Biography

50 Cent (aka Curtis Jackson) has been declared the hottest thing in hip hop since Notorious B.I.G. Growing up on the streets in Jamaica, Queens, 50 Cent, who was raised without a father, lost his mom when he was in his teens. Raised by his grandparents, 50 Cent fell prey to the drugs and violence surrounding him. He amassed a small fortune and a lengthy rap sheet. It was the late Run DMC DJ Jam Master Jay who took 50 Cent under his wing and taught him the trade.

In 1999, Columbia Records caught wind of 50 Cent and signed him. In a remote studio in upstate New York, 50 Cent turned out 36 songs, which resulted in Power of a Dollar, an unreleased album that featured the controversial single, “How to Rob.” The song playfully depicted 50 Cent as a hungry up-and-comer who daydreamed of robbing famous rappers. Despite its obvious comic bent, the song’s targets Jay-Z, Big Pun, Sticky Fingaz and Ghostface Killah weren’t amused.

In April of 2000, 50 Cent was shot nine times outside his home in Queens. While he recuperated, Columbia dropped him from their label. Without any representation, 50 Cent hooked up with his friend Sha Money XL. Together, they recorded more than 30 songs. In 2001, he self-released the material as Guess Who’s Back? The buzz began to build as 50 Cent churned out more songs and built a new back-up crew, G-Unit. He released 50 Cent Is the Future, which included his interpretations of classic beats by the likes of Jay-Z and Raphael Saadiq.

50 Cent’s big break arrived when Eminem and Dr. Dre called him up, flew him out to LA and signed him in a joint venture to Em’s Shady Records and Dre’s Aftermath label. While 50 Cent worked on his major-label debut, he released yet another bootleg of borrowed beats called No Mercy, No Fear. The single, “Wanksta,” was not intended for radio; however, the song got leaked and became an instant hit, eventually landing on the soundtrack to 8 Mile.

In February of 2003, 50 Cent released Get Rich or Die Tryin’. The album went straight to number one and sold 1.5 million copies in its first week and half of release, the highest ever for a debut.

Biography courtesy of rollingstone.com

50 Cent Vital Stats

FULL NAME: Curtis Jackson

DOB: July 6, 1976, South Side Jamaica, Queens, New York

PARENTS: Sabrina Jackson (died when he was 8). Raised by his grandparents, never knew his father.

EDUCATION: Andrew Jackson High School, expelled in 10th grade for posession of crack. Got his GED while in jail.

SON: Marquise Jackson (6 years old)

FORMER JOB: Hustling, crack dealer (starting at age 12)

RAP GROUP: The G-Unit (Guerilla Unit)

G-UNIT MEMBERS: 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, Lloyd Banks, Sha Money XL, Prov, Bang Em Surf, Ice, Bolo