50 Cent

Curtis James Jackson III, better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2003) and The Massacre (2005). Both albums achieved multi-platinum success, selling more than twenty-one million copies combined.

Born in South Jamaica, Queens, Jackson began drug dealing at the age of twelve during the 1980s crack epidemic. After leaving drug dealing to pursue a rap career, he was shot at and struck by nine bullets during an incident in 2000. After releasing his album Guess Who’s Back? in 2002, Jackson was discovered by rapper Eminem and signed to Interscope Records. With the help of Eminem and Dr. Dre, who produced his first major commercial successes, Jackson became one of the world’s highest selling rappers. In 2003, he founded the record label G-Unit Records, which signed several successful rappers such as Young Buck, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo.

In 2007, Forbes recognized Jackson for his wealth, placing him second behind Jay-Z in the rap industry. He resides in Farmington, Connecticut, in the former mansion of ex-boxer Mike Tyson. He put the mansion for sale at $18.5 million to move closer to his son who lives in Long Island with his ex-girlfriend. On October 12, 2007, the Mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut declared it “50 Cent Curtis Jackson Day”. He was honored with a key to the city and an official proclamation. One of his homes in New York purchased for 2.4 million dollars in January 2007 and at the center of a lawsuit between Jackson and ex-girlfriend Shaniqua Tompkins caught fire on May 31, 2008 while he was out of town filming for a movie in Louisiana.

Jackson has engaged in feuds with other rappers including Ja Rule, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Cam’ron, Sean Combs, Rick Ross, and former G-Unit members The Game and Young Buck. He has also pursued an acting career, appearing in the semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin’ in 2005, the Iraq War film Home of the Brave in 2006, and Righteous Kill in 2008.

In Fall 2009, 50 is set to appear in the new season of VH1′s Behind The Music.On September 3, 2009 months upon the release of his “Before I Self Destruct” album 50 Cent posted a video for the Soundkillers’ Phoenix produced track “Flight 187″ which introduced his mixtape, the 50th LAW, and was also featured as a bonus track on his iTunes release of Before I Self Destruct. The song ignited speculation that there was tension between rapper 50 Cent and Jay Z for Jackson’s comments in the song. In November 2009, 50 Cent won the lawsuit he had with Taco Bell over the fast food chain using his name to promote the brand without his permission.

Other Information

• Birth name : Curtis James Jackson III
• Born : July 6, 1975
• Origin : South Jamaica, Queens
• Current Residence: New York, United States
• Genres : Hip hop, Rap
• Occupations : Rapper, actor, entrepreneur, executive producer
• Years active : 1998 – present
• Labels : Aftermath, Shady, G-Unit, Interscope
• Associated acts : G-Unit, Tony Yayo, Lloyd Banks, Eminem, Dr Dre, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Akon, Ne-Yo
• Website : www.50cent.com

Discography

• 2000 : Power of the Dollar
• 2003 : Get Rich or Die Tryin’
• 2005 : The Massacre
• 2007 : Curtis
• 2009 : Before I Self Destruct

Tags: American, Eminem, executive producer, Timbaland, United States