50 Cent (aka Curtis Jackson) has been declared
the hottest thing in hip hop since Notorious B.I.G.
Growing up on the streets in Jamaica, Queens, 50,
who was raised without a father, lost his mom when
he was in his teens. Raised by his grandparents,
50 fell prey to the drugs and violence surrounding
him. He amassed a small fortune and a lengthy rap
sheet. It was the late Run DMC DJ Jam Master Jay
who took 50 under his wing and taught him the trade.
In 1999, Columbia Records caught wind of 50 and
signed him. In a remote studio in upstate New
York, 50 turned out 36 songs, which resulted in
Power of a Dollar, an unreleased album that featured
the controversial single, “How to Rob.” The song
playfully depicted 50 as a hungry up-and-comer
who daydreamed of robbing famous rappers. Despite
its obvious comic bent, the song’s targets Jay-Z,
Big Pun, Sticky Fingaz and Ghostface Killah weren’t
amused.
In April of 2000, 50 was shot nine times outside
his home in Queens. While he recuperated, Columbia
dropped him from their label. Without any representation,
50 hooked up with his friend Sha Money XL. Together,
they recorded more than 30 songs. In 2001, he
self-released the material as Guess Who’s Back?
The buzz began to build as 50 churned out more
songs and built a new back-up crew, G-Unit. He
released 50 Cent Is the Future, which included
his interpretations of classic beats by the likes
of Jay-Z and Raphael Saadiq.
50’s big break arrived when Eminem and Dr. Dre
called him up, flew him out to LA and signed him
in a joint venture to Em’s Shady Records and Dre’s
Aftermath label. While 50 worked on his major-label
debut, he released yet another bootleg of borrowed
beats called No Mercy, No Fear. The single, “Wanksta,”
was not intended for radio; however, the song
got leaked and became an instant hit, eventually
landing on the soundtrack to 8 Mile.
In February of 2003, 50 released Get Rich or
Die Tryin’. The album went straight to number
one and sold 1.5 million copies in its first week
and half of release, the highest ever for a debut.
