50 Cent

"50 cent" redirects here. For the currency amount, see 50 cents.
"Curtis Jackson" redirects here. For other people with this name, see Curtis Jackson (disambiguation).
50 Cent
50 Cent outside a building in New York City in January 2006
50 Cent outside a building in New York City in January 2006
Background information
Birth name Curtis James Jackson III
Born July 6, 1975 (1975-07-06) (age 33)
Origin Queens, New York
United States
Genre(s) Hip hop
Occupation(s) Rapper, actor, entrepreneur, executive producer
Years active June 2, 1998 – present
Label(s) Jam Master Jay
Columbia
Violator
Aftermath/Shady/G-Unit/Interscope
Associated acts G-Unit, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Mobb Deep, Sha Money XL, Ciara
Website ThisIs50.com

Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975),[1] 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 copies combined.[2]

Born in South Jamaica, Queens, 50 Cent began drug dealing at the age of twelve during the 1980s crack epidemic.[3] 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 world's highest selling rappers. In 2003, he founded the record label G-Unit Records, which signed several successful rappers such as Young Buck, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo.

50 Cent has engaged in 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, the Iraq War film Home of the Brave in 2006, and Righteous Kill in 2008.