50 Cent Biography

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50 Cent is the rap name of Curtis James Jackson III, an African-American gangster rapper who was born on July 6, 1975. During his early years, he lived in New York City although he was born in South Jamaica, Queens. Tragedy struck his family very early in his life when his father passed away and his mother was shot. His grandfather then took the responsibility of bringing him up, though in poor and squalid conditions. These conditions led him into the drug trade and he began to be known as “Boo Boo” in the neighborhood.

50 Cent started off his career with Get Rich or Die Tryin' which was the result of Eminem and Dr. Dre’s record deal. His first single, "In Da Club," was a big hit and since then it has been very easy going for him. His latest release, The Massacre, and the imminent release of his film have pushed up his ratings to the highest stage.

During the early stages of his career, 50 Cent was signed up for writing music by Jam Master Jay (JMJ) of Run-DMC who also tutored him regarding counting bars and building up the songs. However, JMJ couldn’t do much for 50 Cent due to the industry limbo. 50 Cent then moved on to join hands with Track Masters, a production duo and Columbia Records signed him up in 1999. He became a smashing hit on the radio with his controversial single “How to Rob” which was an ode to robbing a slew of industry rappers.

Columbia Records dropped him from the label in April 2000 when he was shot in front of his grandmother’s home in Queens. He had to spend many months in recovery as he had been shot 9 times and a .9mm bullet had hit his face. Before this shooting incident, his style as an emcee was quite different to the one after the shooting. In his first album “Power of a Dollar,” he had a much sharper and more flexible pronunciation and delivery than what he is able to do after the shooting. Moreover, he had many similarities with other contemporary New York rappers before he was shot. He still has a bullet segment embedded in his tongue due to which his speech has been impaired.

He released his own G-Unit Sneakers after Beg For Mercy from his group G-Unit was released. He had teamed up with Reebok for the G-Unit Sneakers. In February 2005, he appeared in “Pranksta Rap”, an episode of The Simpsons. His investments included VitaminWater bottled water and his own clothing line.

50 Cent also starts in a video game in which he fights the criminal underworld to find out who shot him and then to take revenge. This game, "50 Cent: Bulletproof," which can be found in PlayStation 2 and the Xbox, also stars other rap artists such as Eminem, Dr. Dre, Tony Yayo, Lloyd Banks, and young Buck.

50 Cent is basically a very practical, intelligent and deliberate man who has his roots in the streets and knows the rules and violence associated with the same. He knows how to hold his head high even while he is immersed in the pettiness all round him. He has the knack to find his way to fame and wealth although he has to face a lot of hardships due to his addictions.

His memoir “From Pieces to Weight: Once Upon a Time in Southside Queens” is all about his life till he succeeded and it was released on August 9, 2005. In 2007, he plans to release other books as well.

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