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Table of Contents
50 Cent
Origin
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)
Used To Be a Boxer
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)
Dealer
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)
Street Thug Turned Rapper
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)
Columbia Deal
He couldn't believe his good fortune. Columbia Records came calling in 1999 and signed the burgeoning rapper to a contract. He received $65,000, but all of it went to Jam Master Jay and his lawyers. As a result, he returned to drug peddling for a time. After then, things didn't go so well.5)
The Power of the Dollar
The Power of the Dollar, 50 Cent's Columbia album, was scheduled for release in 2000. The only problem was that some of his competitors noticed that bootleg versions were flooding the market. As a result, the album never saw the light of day. 6)
Assassination Plot
Early in his career, US officials discovered evidence of a “assassination plot” by cocaine kingpin Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff directed at 50 Cent. Why? Some words in a 50 Cent song appeared to “leak” what he was up to. The rapper was shot nine times in 2000. Of course, he lived, but he refused to cooperate with the cops. 7)