Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson
Curtis James Jackson, III, aka 50 Cent was born on July 6, 1975 in South Jamaica, Queens, where he was raised by his single-mom until she was murdered when he was only 8. He was taken in by his grandparents, but began hanging out with the wrong kids and began selling crack by the age of 12. While still a teenager, he was arrested and convicted for drug dealing, and turned his life around while serving out a six-month sentence. After being paroled, he parlayed his street cred into an enviable career in gangsta’ rap with the help of the late Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC.
Like Marshall Mathers (Eminem) did with 8 Mile, Fitty decided to make his feature film debut by keeping it real with a semi-autobiographical docu-drama. Get Rich or Die Tryin’, which was directed by Jim Sheridan and co-stars Terrence Howard and Joy Bryant, chronicles the efforts of an orphan-turned- drug dealer to extricate himself from a dead-end life on the streets to pursue a hip-hop career.
50 Cent is a record-breaking rap recording artist, entrepreneur, music producer, and actor. His debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, sold more than 12 million units worldwide, is certified eight times platinum, and was the basis for the semi-autobiographical film of the same title, in which he starred. He is the first artist to have four songs in the top ten of Billboard’s Hot 100 since the Beatles in 1964, and in 2012 he released his fifth studio album. He published his memoir, the New York Times bestseller From Pieces to Weight, which was hailed as “cool, hard, and vivid, a minor classic of gangster rap noir” (The New York Times). Under the G-Unit brand, his business empire includes a record label, apparel and footwear ventures, vitamin water, and more. He also created the nonprofit organization The G-Unity Foundation, which aims to better the life of urban youth.
50 Cent also started G-Unit Books, a publishing imprint in collaboration with Pocket Books, Simon & Schuster and MTV, on January 4, 2007. He launched his G-Unit Books imprint at the Time Warner Building in New York with several authors including K. Elliott, Nikki Turner & Relentless Aaron
Learn more at Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s official website
Read our “50 Cent The “Streets of Blood” Interview” Interview with Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson
