50 Cent Biography

50 Cent (aka Curtis Jackson) was born on July 6 1976 in the Jamaica district of Queens, New York. He is one of the most important African American hip hop artist. This New York-based gangsta rapper enjoyed fluctuating fortunes in his musical career and personal life prior to landing a lucrative contract with Eminem's Shady Records label in 2002.

Once almost unknown outside his hometown of southside Jamaica, Queens, he is currently signed to Eminem's record label Shady Records and Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. The rapper, who was the first to sign to Shady Records, was scouted before knowing Eminem. Eminem first encountered 50 Cent with MTV News reporter Sway Calloway; Eminem

apparently had not heard any of 50 Cent's performances before seeing him in person. He appeared on the 8 Mile soundtrack with an accompanying song and video ("Wanksta") that immediately went into heavy rotation on BET, MTV, and radio stations across the country. In the opinion of many observers his continued success seems guaranteed by his large underground fanbase and the street credibility he has gained by appearing on almost every major mix tape sold in New York in the past few years.

Interscope Records has sold 50 Cent as the "real deal", as the success of an artist in gangsta rap depends on his street credibility and reputation. His mother was killed in a drug deal, he was a great drug dealer himself, he has been shot nine times (nine bullets in one single shootout, not nine separate incidents as some believe), and he built a large rap empire in New York City before ever signing a major record deal.

50 Cent's Career: Early Years

Curtis Jackson never knew his father, 50's mother was 15 when he was born. When he was 8 years old, his mother, a bisexual Queens drug dealer working under "Fat Cat", was murdered. The extent of the impact of his mother's death on his life is speculated over, and her sexuality is also a key part of Jackson's emotional growth, which he would later reference in the song Hate It Or Love It (off The Game's album The Documentary), "Growing up, I was confused, my momma kissing a girl/ Confusion occurs, growing up in a cold world". The same song also contains a mild indictment of his father's absence, "My dad, he ain't around, probably out committin' felonies". Living under his grandparents' roof, Curtis soon became immersed in the drug trade. By the age of 12, 50 was on the streets selling crack. "Life is cheap in those places," he says. "You can have someone killed for $5,000."

Hustling around his native Jamaica, Queens neighborhood, Curtis went by the name of "Boo Boo". It was during this period of distributing narcotics that Curtis met fellow Queens native Tony Yayo. In June of 1994, Curtis was arrested on felony drug charges. Being a second time offender, Curtis was able to plead out of significant prison time by accepting seven months in a "shock incarceration" boot camp.

Curtis met up with Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC fame and was signed to his label JMJ. Jay taught him the basics and then 50 left the label in search of someone who could help him achieve his dream of rap stardom. He teamed up with the hip-hop production duo Track Masters who recognized 50 Cent's talent for incisive lyrics and signed him to Columbia Records in 1999. The rapper promptly cut 36 songs which resulted in Power of a Dollar, an unreleased album that featured the controversial single, How to Rob. In the song 50 daydreams of robbing famous rappers such as Jay-Z, Ghostface Killah and Sticky Fingaz. Unsurprisingly, the song's targets were not amused and a series of anonymous death threats followed.

One night in April, 2000, 50 Cent was shot nine times outside his grandmother's house in Queens. The media speculated that it was a disgruntled rival rapper behind the shooting. But 50 was more philosophical. "I look at it like karma," he says. "What goes around comes around. I've been in some situations where I've done bad shit. I've shot people. But I don't fear anything I have no control over."

But his record label, Columbia were less philosophical and promptly dropped 50 from the label fearing the ensuing carnage from a rap war wouldn't be good for their image. 50 went back to basics. Hooking up with his friend, Sha Money XL he recorded some 30 tunes and released the material as a bootleg disc, Guess Who's Back, in 2002, backed by his new crew, G-Unit.

Biography Page 2: 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Shady Records