Go... Go... Go... Go...

Curtis James Jackson III was born on this day in 1975. He grew up father-less and also mother-less before he turned 11 years old. Curtis was born and raised in the run down area of Southside Jamaica, Queens, New York. In the eighties and nineties the cocaine and crack cocaine epidemics were truly underway and flourishing as the drug coursed through the veins of the city, making the rich richer and finding new victims among the poorer citizens.
It was inevitable then, given the circumstances, that Curtis would establish himself in the lifestyle of a drug dealer. But who would have imagined he would start so young? At just twelve he began selling drugs on the streets of Queens because , in his own words,

"I sold drugs and I was in a situation where there weren’t many options available me – I was so young that working wasn’t an option so that’s when I was dealing, when I was 12"

He has also stated on a number of occassions that the main influencing factor was that the only people around him who were living an ideal lifestyle with money, cars and women were drug dealers. It was almost a no-brainer to enter into that business particularly as his mother had already established a number of links, connects and names for Jackson to associate with. It was almost natural for the young boy to segue into the path created by his mother and also the environment around him.

It wasn't until the birth of his son in 1997 that his priorities began to shift and he realised that in order to have a relationship with him and his mother; Curtis would have to embark on a new avenue to make money and be successful. He would have to do what so many hustlers are unable to do and that is ... leave.

Big Transition - Small Change

In 1996, he was introduced to hip hop legend Jam Master Jay and Jay taught the 20 year old the basics of music production and writing lyrics such as how to count and write bars in song form, how to structure tracks and create choruses etc. These were vital lessons which had they not been taught by such an inspirational and aspirational giant in the game, 50 may have lost motivation and simply slipped back into the hustler's lifestyle.

Everything was going smoothly, Columbia Records signed him, he had an album on the way, his popularity was snowballing, and his track 'How To Rob' was getting him noticed.

50 Cent was born. Small change but definitely a big transition.

May 24th 2000

Jackson was gunned down outside his Grandma's home in Queens. He was famously shot nine times but survived. One bullet hit his jaw and caused him to have a slur in his voice, at the time the doctor had the option to remove the bullet but it would have meant that his vocal chords would be severely affected. His grandmother decided that his rap career was the only way Curtis would make it anywhere in life and so told the doctor to leave the bullet lodged in his jaw. It is still there today.

After the shooting, 50 was immediately dropped from the label Columbia Records and was blacklisted by the industry. However, he kept releasing songs and pushing mixtapes which grew in popularity, he had the streets buzzing.

Guess Who's Back

In 2002, Eminem and Dr Dre signed 50 Cent on a $1 Million deal (reportedly more)  after Eminem had heard 50's mixtape 'Guess Who's Back' and was notably impressed.

The young New Yorker exploded to fame with his debut album 'Get Rich or Die Tryin' in 2003 which remains the largest selling debut hip hop album of all time.

His single 'In Da Club' received worldwide acclaim and 50 was well on his way to stardom with his aggressive material which had the clubs bouncing, the streets recognising and the industry shaking. By 2005 G-Unit mania was at its peak with the clothing line becoming a phenomenon along with the music itself reaching an ever-growing worldwide audience.

50 Cent is as much of a businessman as he is a musician. His most successful venture to date was Vitamin Water which he sold to Coca Cola for a much-speculated approximate sum of $4 billion.

Nowadays you'll find Curtis on the red carpets as he looks to expand on his acting career and his film production company 'Cheetah Vision' . He is definitely focused behind the film projects, last year he lost what looked like a tonne of weight in order to play the role of a cancer patient in a movie.

50 Cent has done what rappers such as Jay Z took decades to do in just 6 years. He is a rap mogul and a tycoon with a wide ranging portfolio from books and clothing to water and fragrance. He changed the shape and face of the game, although he has been keeping quiet in terms of albums, Black Magic is set to be released by the end of this year and we are assured that it is going to smash the scene to bits!

 

Anyone who knows me well enough will know that 50 Cent is my favourite rapper ... ever. The flows are addictive and his character and persona is inspirational, I couldn't write any more as the words wouldn't do the man justice!

I'd like to finish off with my favourite 50 Cent song:

Happy Birthday 50!