Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975),
[From the cradle to the grave (nearly). The Observer (August 21, 2005). Accessed May 22, 2007.] 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 over twenty-one million copies combined.
[Thornburgh, Nathan (September 10, 2007). 10 Questions for 50 Cent. Time. Accessed September 13, 2007.]
Born in
South Jamaica, Queens, 50 Cent began
drug dealing at the age of twelve during the 1980s'
crack epidemic.
[Campion, Chris (August 21, 2005). Right on the money. The Observer. Accessed May 22, 2007.] After leaving drug dealing to pursue a rap career, he was shot nine times in 2000. After releasing his album
Guess Who's Back? in 2002, 50 Cent 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—he 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.
