50 Cent (aka Curtis James Jackson) has been an explosive figure in the hip hop industry since his major-label debut in 2003. Despite a difficult childhood and youth, he has managed to make his way off the streets. with unique rhymes and an ear for finding other rap talent.

50 Cent became rap’s golden boy when he signed a million-dollar deal to Eminem’s Shady/Aftermath label. Emininem and rap superstar Dr. Dre drew on already present talent from the ’50s to create the monster single “In Da Club.” This 50 Cent song was featured on his first major-label album “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” which was released in 2003. 50 Cent’s video for the song included appearances by Eminem and Dr. Dre, catapulting the hit. of the.

Following the album’s success, Interscope Records issued a 50-cent deal with their own record label G-Unit Records. He immediately signed childhood friends Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo to the label. He joined these artists in a group called G-Unit, which released “Beg for Mercy” in 2003. Later additions to the label included Young Buck, Olivia, Mob Deep and Young Hot Rod. 2008 saw a second album from the G-Unit group called “TOS: Terminate on Sight”.

At the same time, he began work on his second studio release titled “The Massacre”. The album sold 1.14 million copies in the first four days. 50 Cent’s videos for “Candy Shop,” “Disco Inferno,” and “How We Do” helped put those three songs in Billboard’s top five singles for the same week.

50 Cent’s success is fueled by his desire to move on from his tough childhood and the May 2000 shooting that put his rapping career on hiatus. He was born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York, to a teenage mother. He was raised by his grandparents after his mother was murdered when he was 8 years old. At 12, 50 Cent was selling crack on the streets and bringing guns to school. After several arrests during his teenage years, he became interested in music.

In the late 1990s, he appeared on several other artists’ records and was signed to Columbia Records in 1999. He recorded thirty-six songs in two weeks and was set to release “Power of the Dollar” when he was shot. 50 Cent was attacked outside his grandparents’ house and was shot nine times. His shooter was never officially charged, but he was murdered on the streets three weeks later. In pictures of 50 Cent before and after the shooting, you can see the slight damage to his left cheek from the shooting.

Columbia Records dropped the artist immediately, deeming it too risky. However, this did not stop his desire to become a rap star. While 50 Cent was recuperating, he recorded thirty songs for rap mix tapes, which helped build his reputation. It was on one of these mix tapes that Eminem heard his music for the first time.

In addition to his extensive discography, 50 Cent partnered with Reebok in 2003 to distribute G-Unit Sneakers. He also has a clothing company G-Unit. He made his way into the gaming world with the release of 50 Cent: BulletProof in 2005. A sequel to the game, 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, was released in early 2009. He also appeared in the Get Rich or Die movies. Tryin'”, “Home of the Brave” and “Righteous Kill”.

50 Cent’s third album, Curtis, was released in September 2007 and sold 691,000 copies in its first week. His fourth album, Before I Self Destruct, is scheduled for a spring 2009 release.