Born in South Jamaica, Queens, New York, on July 6, 1975, Curtis James Jackson III, best known by his stage name 50 Cent, is a rapper, actor, singer, entrepreneur, author, and Grammy Award nominee. He is also the founder of the hip hop group and label G-Unit.
Born in South Jamaica, Queens, New York, on July 6, 1975, Curtis James Jackson III, best known by his stage name 50 Cent, is a rapper, actor, singer, entrepreneur, author, and Grammy Award nominee. He is also the founder of the hip hop group and label G-Unit.
In 2002, he dropped out of drug rehab to focus on his rap career, and he dropped his first album, Guess Who’s Back Again. Eminem and Dr. Dre found him, and he later signed with Interscope Records. Since then, he has published four albums: Before I Self Destruct (2009), The Massacre (2006), Curtis (2007), and Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2003).
Among the rappers with whom 50 Cent has feuded are Jay-Z, Ja Rule, The Game, Cam’ron, Fat Joe, and Rick Ross. In addition, he has pursued an acting career, making appearances in the Iraq War films Home of the Brave (2006), Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2005), and Righteous Kill (2008). One of the wealthiest hip-hop artists, 50 Cent had an estimated net worth of $440 million in the United States in 2008.
Through underground mixtapes, 50 Cent cultivated a sizable fan base in New York prior to signing a major record deal. After 50 Cent got to know Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay, he signed him to his label and gave him full songwriting credit. In 1996, after splitting from JMJ, he joined with Columbia Records. He published Ghetto Qua Ran, How to Rob, and Power of the Dollar on this label. His company Columbia Records released him on May 24, 2000, following his shooting incident.
Eminem and Dr. Dre both showed a great deal of interest in 50 Cent on MTV at this same time after listening to one of his demo tapes. 50 Cent formally signed with Interscope Records shortly after this. He was the first rapper to sign with Dr. Dre and Eminem’s joint label. Wanksta, the first song he released from this album, was used in the soundtrack for the film 8 Miles.
His breakthrough single, “Get Rich Or Die Tryin’,” sold 872,000 copies in its first week of release, easily becoming a Gold record. It became Platinum (1 million) in the second week, and on April 12, 2004, the RIAA certified it Platinum six times.
After the success of his album Get Rich or Die Tryin’, he released a new album in 2005 called The Massacre (which was first scheduled to be released on St. Valentine’s Day but was postponed). Disco Inferno, the first song off this album, was a big hit. He followed this up with Candy Shop and Just a Lil Bit releases.
Interscope Records gave 50 Cent permission to launch his own record company, G-Unit Records, in 2003. Young Buck, Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks were the first established G-Unit Records artists he signed. The Game was signed by Dr. Dre and 50 Cent as part of a joint venture in 2004.
