Everybody knows 50 Cent right? When he first burst on the scene in 2003 with his debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin’, 50 rose to become one of the most popular artists in the world. His charisma, personality, and straight-up pettiness have entertained his fans for years.
Since he put out his last album in 2014, he’s transitioned into becoming a successful businessman, music executive and TV producer.
Here is the evolution of 50 Cent.
Born and raised in Queens
Born Curtis James Jackson III, 50 Cent was born in Queens, New York City in the South Jamaica neighborhood on July 6, 1975. His mother Sabrina was a drug dealer and died in a fire when Curtis was eight-years-old. He then moved in with his grandmother.
Drug dealing
Growing up, Jackson was a drug dealer and in 1994, he was arrested when police found heroin, crack cocaine, drug packaging material and a gun. He was sentenced to three to nine years in prison.
Shot nine times
50 Cent was shot nine times in front of his grandmother’s house. He was shot in the hand, arm, hip, legs, chest and left cheek. The alleged shooter was shot weeks later.
Feud with Ja Rule and Murder Inc. Records
50 Cent has been in many high-profile feuds and/or beefs throughout his career, but his most infamous by far is with Ja Rule in 2000. 50 Cent had a public feud with Ja Rule and his label Murder Inc. Records, claiming that 50 planned for someone to rob Ja Rule of his jewelry. This led to an altercation with associates of Murder Inc where 50 Cent was stabbed.
G-Unit
The group was founded by 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo who all grew up in the South Jamaica neighborhood in Queens. They began rapping together as teenagers and after 2000, released a series of mixtapes independently to gain some buzz. The most popular mixtapes from the group were Is the Future, God’s Plan, No Mercy, No Fear and Automatic Gunfire.
Mixtapes
Using all of the hottest beats in rap, 50 Cent remixed them with different hooks and verses. His first mixtape, Guess Who’s Back? is what started the hype train for the Queens rapper and led to many looking forward to his debut album. He has released 10 mixtapes since 2002.
Aftermath Entertainment
After his 2002 mixtape, Guess Who’s Back? the labels came calling and after he was discovered by Eminem, he was signed to Shady Records under Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment. They gave him his own label G-Unit records where he brought along the members of the collective and later signed Compton rapper The Game.
Get Rich or Die Tryin’
As one of the most hyped album debuts by a rapper since Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle, Get Rich or Die Tryin’ was everywhere when it was released in February 2004. Hit records, “In da Club,” “21 Questions” and “Many Men (Wish Death)” made this album a cultural phenomenon and in 2021, the album went diamond, representing 10 million albums sold.
The Massacre
His sophomore release was arguably more popular than his debut album at the time of its release in March 2005. Massacre put up numbers going platinum in the first four days after it was released. It was not as well-received as his debut album but it still had some hit records including “Candy Shop” and “Outta Control.”
50 Cent vs Kanye West
50’s third studio album with fellow star rapper, Kanye West. 50 with his album Curtis and Kanye with his album Graduation. The two embraced the competition and did many public appearances together promoting their albums. In the end, Graduation outsold Curtis by a wide margin, showing a changing of the guard in hip-hop and that hardcore-gangster rap is not the only way to sell rap music.
Vitamin Water
Like many rappers, 50 Cent knew that making music was not enough and decided to invest in business ventures. His first venture was his partnership with Glacáeu to create enhanced water. He became a minority shareholder and celebrity spokesperson for the company promoting mostly Vitamin Water. Glacáeu was purchased by Coca-Cola for $4.1 billion in 2007
Boxing promotion
In 2012, 50 Cent became a boxing promoter forming the company TMT (The Money Team) along with professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. The two had a falling out years later.
Bankruptcy
In 2016, 50 Cent filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Connecticut with a debt of over $32 million.
Acting Career
His first movie was in 2005 and followed a similar template to Eminem’s 8 Mile. The movie is based on 50 Cent’s own life and was given the same name as his debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’. He has since starred in dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably his work on Power, a show he also produced.
Starz
Starting in 2014 50 Cent starred and produced a series of shows from Starz, the streaming platform. His first show was Power, which he created, produced and starred in. The show has since spawned many spin-off series including Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan and Power Book IV: Force. In 2021 BMF, a show based on the real-life story of the Black Mafia Family premiered on Starz. A month ago, 50 Cent let it be known that he would like to buy all of the Power shows from the network.
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