 Grimy,
streetwise and absolutely
fearless, 50 Cent, born
Curtis Jackson, has dealt
with more in his 26 years
than most deal with in an
entire lifetime. Raised
without a father, 50 lost
his mother when she was
found dead of mysterious
circumstances before he was
a teenager and the orphaned
rapper was taken in by his
grandparents. After a crash
course in street life on the
infamous New York Avenue,
now known as Guy R. Brewer
Blvd., 50 amassed a heavy
rep and a lengthy rap sheet.
It wasn't until his son was
born that 50 entered the rap
game with the intent to win.
He signed with JMJ, the
label of Run DMC DJ, Jam
Master Jay, and began
crafting his skills. When
the platinum hit makers The
Trackmasters took notice of
50 and signed him to
Columbia Records in 1999,
his breakthrough seemed
inevitable. They shipped 50
to upstate New York and
locked him up in the studio.
In just over two weeks, 50
cranked out 36 songs, which
resulted in Power of a
Dollar, which Blaze Magazine
deemed a classic. The album
produced a sarcastic
stick-up anthem called "How
to Rob" which blew through
the roof and playfully
depicted a ruthless
up-and-comer detailing how
he would rob famous artists
like Master P and Timbaland.
Amidst the controversy and a
potential breakout cut, "Thug
Love" with Destiny's Child,
heavy bootlegging tainted
Columbia's position on the
controversial 50 and they
pulled the album. Then, in
April of 2021, 50 was shot
nine times, including a nine
millimetre bullet to the
face. He spent the next few
months recovering and
Columbia Records promptly
dropped him from the label.
Despite a lack of backing
and money, 50 teamed up with
new business partner Sha
Money XL and produced over
30 new songs with the sole
purpose of creating a buzz
on the underground tip. The
recordings spread through
New York on black market CDs
and mix-tapes like a virus
and the rapper eventually
released the new material
independently on the
makeshift LP, "Guess Who's
Back" Beginning to attract
interest, and now backed by
the G-Unit crew, 50 kept
grinding out more songs. In
the midst of a major-label
bidding war between Jive,
Universal and J, according
to reports, Eminem began
proclaiming repeatedly that
50 Cent was his favourite
rapper. After consulting
with Dr. Dre, Eminem ended
up signing 50 to his Shady/Aftermath
label, reportedly for over a
million dollars. 50 has made
it clear, though, that it
wasn't the money that lured
him to the Shady side of the
tracks; it was the
opportunity to work with the
"dream team." In the wake of
the deal, 50 Cent was
becoming hailed as the most
anticipated newcomer in
almost a decade. Never one
to miss an opportunity, 50
quickly released a track
called "Wanksta" which found
a home on Eminem's
multi-platinum 8 Mile
soundtrack.
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