50 CENT BIOGRAPHY

HOME

50 CENT PICTURES

Biography Discography Posters Store Websites

CELEBRITIES

All Celebrities

Female Celebrities

Male Celebrities

Actresses

Actors

Female Singers

Male Singers

Music Bands

Male Athletes

Female Athletes

Top Models

Other Celebrities

Celebrity Search

Links Fotos de Famosos Fotos de Famosas Version Espanol

Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1976), commonly known by his rap name 50 Cent or Fiddy Cent, is an African-American gangsta rapper, who rose to fame following the success of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin' and The Massacre. 50 Cent achieved multi-platinum success with both albums, selling around 26 million albums worldwide. Jackson is known for his gangsta image, and prides himself on having been shot nine times and surviving the ordeal. 50 Cent's mug shot from his 1994 incarceration for drug charges.Curtis James Jackson III grew up in South Jamaica, Queens, New York in poverty-stricken circumstances. *** *** When he was eight years old, his mother was murdered in her home in a drug deal, and 50 Cent moved in with his grandparents. He soon became immersed in the drug trade, hustling around his native neighborhood by the name of "Boo Boo." By embracing that reputation, 50 Cent built a large following in New York before ever signing a major record deal. 50 Cent met up with Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC and was signed to his label to write all of his music. After leaving Jam Master Jay, he teamed up with the hip-hop production duo Track Masters. 50 Cent was signed to Columbia Records in 1997. The controversial single "How to Rob", an ode to robbing a slew of industry rappers, was a hit on the radio. The next single, "Ghetto Qu'ran", started a feud with the drug kingpin Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff who was the leader of the New York gang called the "Supreme Team." In the song he says, "'Preme was the Business man and Prince (Supreme's cousin) was the killer." His debut album Power of the Dollar was shelved, and subsequently 50 Cent left Columbia Records shortly after being shot in 2000. Eminem first heard 50 Cent on one of his mixtapes, which he brought to Dr. Dre's attention. Eminem expressed interest in the rapper on MTV. 50 Cent officially signed to Interscope Records. The rapper was also the first to sign onto a joint effort between Eminem's Shady Records and Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. Interscope marketed 50 Cent as the "real deal", and his appearance on the 8 Mile Soundtrack ("Wanksta") immediately went into heavy rotation on BET, MTV, and radio stations across the country. In its first week of release, his debut "Get Rich Or Die Tryin'" sold 872,000 copies. The album was certified gold in its first week and platinum the next, and it broke the record for first week sales of any major label debut in the entire Soundscan era. On April 12, 2004 "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" was certified six times platinum by the RIAA. Interscope then granted 50 Cent his own label, G-Unit Records. 50 Cent appointed his manager Sha Money XL as the president. The label signed on Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo and Young Buck as the established members of G-Unit. In 2004, Dr. Dre and 50 Cent had signed The Game under a joint venture. 50 Cent also signed Olivia and Mobb Deep to G-Unit Records in 2005. The rapper has also signed Spider Loc, M.O.P., and Mase, from Bad Boy Records. In 2006, the rapper has also signed Arizona rapper Hot Rod as a member of G-Unit. 50 Cent has expressed interest in working with other rappers outside of G-Unit such as Freeway of Roc-A-Fella Records. After the release of Beg For Mercy from his group G-Unit, he teamed up with Reebok to release his own G-Unit Sneakers. He also invested in VitaminWater bottled water and his own clothing line. 50 Cent appeared on an episode of The Simpsons entitled, "Pranksta Rap" in February 2005. A video game starring 50 Cent, called "50 Cent: Bulletproof," is available on the PlayStation 2, the Xbox, and the PlayStation Portable. 50 Cent starred in the semi-autobiographical 2005 film Get Rich or Die Tryin' directed by Jim Sheridan, and co-starring Joy Bryant and Terrence Howard. 50 Cent released a memoir about his life up to his success entitled From Pieces to Weight: Once Upon a Time in Southside Queens; the book was released on August 9, 2005. There are other books planned for release in 2007. Before even signing to Eminem and Dr. Dre's label, 50 Cent was engaged in a well-publicized dispute with rival rapper Ja Rule and his label Murder Inc. Records. The rappers engaged in numerous mix tape "disses,". The conflict stemmed from the rapper's alleged robbery of Ja Rule's jewelry, which led to a confrontation and 50 Cent's stabbing. Before the release of Get Rich Or Die Tryin, Murder, Inc alongside The Source began a smear campaign against the rapper. A restraining order document was floating around the Internet stating that 50 Cent had placed label CEO Irv Gotti and rapper Black Child in the document forging a belief that 50 Cent is a "snitch" or a police informant. Although 50 Cent dismissed the claims of not talking to police, the bad publicity continues to be a tool used by various rappers who have rivalries with G-Unit. This was one of the most well known feuds in hip-hop history. 50 Cent accused Ja Rule of "singing" instead of rapping. Ja Rule retaliated, accusing him of insulting other rappers to gain fame. Ja Rule eventually tried to squash the beef with 50 Cent by using Louis Farrakhan in a televised interview. Ja Rule soon lost credibility when the interview was done a day before his album Blood In My Eye was released, leading 50 Cent to dismiss the interview as a blatant publicity stunt. 50 Cent had not commented much on Ja Rule's and Irv Gotti's situation. The FBI is probing Murder Inc.'s ties to drug-kingpin Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff who is possibly involved in the murder of Jam Master Jay. According to website The Smoking Gun a 2003 search warrant affidavit for the Manhattan offices of the Murder, Inc. record label showed that McGriff was still trying to kill 50 Cent and that he "communicates with Murder, Inc. employees concerning the target." An excerpt of the affidavit reads: "The investigation has uncovered a conspiracy involving McGriff and others to murder a rap artist who has released songs containing lyrics regarding McGriff's criminal activities. The rap artist was shot 9 times in 2000, survived and there after refused to cooperate with law enforcement regarding the shooting. Messages transmitted over the Murder Inc. Pager indicate that McGriff is involved in an ongoing plot to kill this rap artist, and that he communicates with Murder Inc. employees concerning the target.

50 CENT PICTURES

1 - 2 - 3