Curtis James Jackson III born July 6, , [4] better known by his stage name 50 Cent , is an American rapper, actor, television producer, and entrepreneur. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of the borough of Queens , Jackson began selling drugs at age twelve during the s crack epidemic.
He later began pursuing a musical career and in 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 , after Jackson released the compilation album Guess Who's Back? Dre 's Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. With the aid 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.
Jackson had similar commercial and critical success with his second album, The Massacre , which was released in He released his fifth studio album, Animal Ambition , in and as of is working on his sixth studio album, Street King Immortal. He executive produces and stars in the show Power , which airs on Starz. A drug dealer, Sabrina raised Jackson until she died in a mysterious fire when Jackson was 8. He began boxing at about age 11, and when he was 14 a neighbor opened a boxing gym for local youth.
I think rappers condition themselves like boxers, so they all kind of feel like they're the champ. In the tenth grade, he was caught by metal detectors at Andrew Jackson High School: "I was embarrassed that I got arrested like that After I got arrested I stopped hiding it. I was telling my grandmother [openly], 'I sell drugs. On June 29, , Jackson was arrested for selling four vials of cocaine to an undercover police officer. He was arrested again three weeks later, when police searched his home and found heroin, ten ounces of crack cocaine and a starting pistol.
Although Jackson was sentenced to three to nine years in prison, he served six months in a boot camp and earned his GED. He has said that he did not use cocaine himself. I'm the same kind of person 50 Cent was. I provide for myself by any means. Jackson began rapping in a friend's basement, where he used turntables to record over instrumentals. Jay taught him how to count bars , write choruses , structure songs and make records. He credited Jam Master Jay for improving his ability to write hooks , [14] and Jay produced Jackson's first unreleased album.
They sent him to an upstate New York studio, where he produced thirty-six songs in two weeks; [10] eighteen were included on his album, Power of the Dollar. Jackson's popularity began to grow after the successful, controversial underground single " How to Rob ", which he wrote in a half-hour car ride to a studio.
Jackson explained the song's rationale: "There's a hundred artists on that label, you gotta separate yourself from that group and make yourself relevant". On May 24, , Jackson was attacked by a gunman outside his grandmother's former home in South Jamaica.
After getting into a friend's car, he was asked to return to the house to get some jewelry; his son was in the house, and his grandmother was in the front yard. Jackson was shot in the hand, arm, hip, both legs, chest, and left cheek. They were driven to a hospital, where Jackson spent thirteen days. The alleged attacker, Darryl Baum, Mike Tyson 's close friend and bodyguard, [32] was killed three weeks later. Jackson recalled the shooting: "It happens so fast that you don't even get a chance to shoot back I was scared the whole time I was looking in the rear-view mirror like, 'Oh shit, somebody shot me in the face!
It burns, burns, burns. How much more damage could that shell have done? Give me an inch in this direction or that one, and I'm gone". When he left the hospital he stayed in the Poconos with his girlfriend and son, and his workout regime helped him develop a muscular physique. In the hospital Jackson signed a publishing deal with Columbia Records before he was dropped from the label and blacklisted by the recording industry because of his song, " Ghetto Qu'ran ". Unable to work in a U. They then got into all the markets on the mixtapes and all the mixtape DJs were messing with them.
The mixtape featured one new track, " Wanksta ", which appeared on Eminem's 8 Mile soundtrack. Jackson released his debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin' described by AllMusic as "probably the most hyped debut album by a rap artist in about a decade" , in February Interscope gave Jackson his own label, G-Unit Records , in Dre's Aftermath Entertainment.
In March , Jackson's second commercial album, The Massacre , sold 1. He released " Ok, You're Right ", produced by Dr. On September 3, Jackson posted a video [53] for the Soundkillers' Phoenix- [54] produced track, "Flight ", introducing his mixtape and book The 50th Law. The song, with lyrics inspiring speculation about tension between Jackson and Jay-Z, was a bonus track on the iTunes version of Before I Self Destruct.
In a Contactmusic. Dre amid rumors of tension between Jackson and Dre. He "recorded 20 songs to a whole different album concept" before putting them aside, [61] wanting his new album to have the "aggression" of Get Rich or Die Tryin '.
It was ultimately delayed a year due to disagreements with Interscope Records, with Jackson saying that he would release it in November [64] with a different title than Black Magic. Jackson released a song, " Outlaw ", from his fifth album on the Internet on June 16, According to the book's publisher, the first-person novel about a year-old schoolyard bully "who finds redemption as he faces what he's done" [70] was scheduled for publication in January In a series of tweets Jackson told that the delay of his fifth album was due to disagreements with Interscope Records, [64] later suggesting that it would be released in November with his headphone line SMS by It will all be clear in the negotiations following me turning this actual album in.
And, of course, the performance and how they actually treat the work will determine whether you still want to stay in that position or not. We made two that are definite singles and the other two are the kinds of records that we been making, more aimed at my core audience, more aggressive, more of a different kind of energy to it. Jackson's fifth album, Street King Immortal , was initially scheduled for a summer release and postponed until November Its first promo single , " New Day " with Dr. Dre and Alicia Keys , was released on July The song was produced by Dr.
A solo version by Keys was leaked by her husband, Swizz Beatz. In January , Jackson said he planned to release Animal Ambition in the first quarter of the year, followed by Street King Immortal. Dre: "I'm a special case and situation. It's also because of the leverage of having the strong relationships with Eminem and Dr. They don't want me to be uncomfortable. They value our friendship to the point that they would never want [to jeopardize] it over that little bit of money.
That day, he announced that Animal Ambition would be released on June 3 [85] and released its first track. The song, "Funeral", was released with a video on Forbes. Produced by Jake One, it is a continuation of "50 Bars" from a previous album; two more tracks were scheduled for release on March I outlined all the things that would be a part of prosperity, positive and negative [for Animal Ambition ]. On May 14, , Jackson revealed in an interview that the first single from Street King Immortal , would be previewed Memorial Day weekend and would likely be released in June.
The song, produced by Remo the Hitmaker, features vocals from fellow American rappers 2 Chainz and T. On March 31, , Interscope Records released 50 Cent's final album for the label, a greatest hits album titled Best Of.
On June 25, , The New York Times Magazine listed 50 Cent among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the Universal fire. In , Jackson helmed the executive-producer duties for late rapper Pop Smoke 's debut album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon , having being one of Pop Smoke's biggest inspirations.
The album was released on July 3, Jackson curated the album, desiring to finish it after Pop had died. He contacted many of the artists involved, and also features on one of the album tracks, " The Woo ", which became a top ten single.
Jackson has had a highly successful business career. He is financially invested in a highly diversified variety of industries. Jackson is now involved in artist and talent management, record, television, and film production, footwear, apparel, fragrances, liquor, video games, mobile apps, book publishing, headphones and health drinks and dietary supplements.
In October , Jackson became a beverage investor when he was given a minority share in the company in exchange for becoming a spokesperson after learning that he was a fan of the beverage. The health conscious Jackson noted that he first learned of the product while at a gym in Los Angeles, and stated that "they do such a good job making water taste good.
In over 18 months, Jackson has sold projects to six different networks. Among them was Power , a STARZ drama in which he not only co-stars but also serves as co-creator and executive producer. Power debuted in June and was renewed for a second season after one episode.
Ratings have been a success for Starz. In , Jackson filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to register the term "50 Cent" as a trademark for clothing, sound recordings, and live performances. The application was published in , and registration issued in In July , Jackson launched a philanthropic initiative to provide food for one billion starving people in Africa by , joining Pure Growth Partners to introduce Street King.
The partnership coincides with Jackson's goal to feed a billion people in Africa during the next five years. It's our mission with Street King to really change children's lives around the world. In , Jackson became a minority shareholder in Effen Vodka, a brand of vodka produced in the Netherlands, when he invested undisclosed amount in the company Sire Spirits LLC.
The rapper was asked to take part in two promotional bottle signings, one in Oak Creek and another in Sun Prairie.