Curtis Jackson, the rapper's real name, was born in Queens. His father fled, and his drug-dealing mother was murdered when he was eight years old. Curtis was so reared by his grandparents. Curtis adored his grandma, but she had a bevy of children to support, so he turned to the streets to get money. Whatever it takes to make a buck. ¹⁾

Curtis, as an adolescent, began boxing and spent his after-school hours at a sports club. He maintained his interest in boxing alive as a rapper, with the occasional bout and a stint as a boxing manager. His catchphrase? Get in shape or die trying. One look at his buff bod tells you he's serious. ²⁾

Curtis desired the finer things in life. The only problem was that grandmother had a lot of affection but not a lot of money. What is the solution? Go out into the streets and haggle. “I didn't want to ask [my grandmother] for a pair of Air Jordans when I knew she couldn't afford them, so I started working to obtain my stuff and not stress her out,” he explained. ³⁾

After the birth of his first child, 50 Cent resolved to (sort of) clean up his act. His love of street music inspired him to pen some very awful rap songs. DJ Jam Master Jay trained him and distributed his CDs around his DJ buddies in the late 1990s. The underground career took off at that point.⁴⁾