Curtis
James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), 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 records worldwide. Born in South
Jamaica, Queens, 50 Cent 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 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 highest selling
rappers in the world. In 2003, he founded the record label G-Unit
Records, which signed successful rappers such as Young Buck, Lloyd
Banks, and Tony Yayo. 50 Cent has engaged in numerous feuds with
other rappers including Ja Rule, The Game, and Fat Joe. He has
also pursued an acting career, appearing in the
semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin' in 2005 and the
Iraq War film Home of the Brave in 2006. 50 Cent is worked on a
role as a fighter in an Angola State Prison in The Dance alongside
Nicholas Cage, and is set to star opposite Robert De Niro in
2008's Righteous Kill, a movie regarding a police death. He also
started the film production companies G-Unit Films in 2007 and
Cheetah Vision in 2008 ... more
