The world of rap music—particularly gangsta rap—has been littered with artists rhyming about their lives on the streets without having ever lived such hard times. Every once and a while, however, one has come along who not only lived a rough life, but has exemplified the gangsta lifestyle. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson has not only typified the street thug persona, he actually was one—he sold crack, robbed his street corner rivals and was shot nine times in a failed attempt on his life. But without his checkered past, which he has routinely mined for lyrics and self-promotion, Jackson might not have become a top-selling artist and most likely would have been just another wannabe gangsta. Jackson grew up in a rough part of Jamaica, Queens, New York. His mom sold crack and his dad left home when he was 8-years-old. Around the same age, his mom was drugged and murdered in their home, forcing young Jackson to live with his grandmother. At 12-years-old, Jackson followed his mom’s trade and began selling crack in the neighborhood, earning around $5,000 a day, but was careful not to let his grandma find out. Jackson was also careful not to fall into the trap of sampling the merchandise—a hindrance to other proprietors who consumed their stash instead of selling it. In tenth grade, he had his first run-in with the law for dealing and was given juvenile probation. When he hit 18, Jackson was running a profitable neighborhood crack house, earning $150,000 a month, but legal trouble struck again when he was popped for possession of heroin, crack and a starter pistol, and was sentenced to three to nine years in prison. While inside prison, Jackson earned his GED and was eventually released in 1995. Upon his release, Jackson began rapping as an alternative to selling drugs, though he continued to hustle while launching his music career. Jackson soon began an apprenticeship with Jay Master Jay of Run DMC fame, who signed the fledgling rapper to his tiny JMJ Records label. From Jam Master Jay, Jackson learned the rudiments of music theory—counting beats, song structure—but never achieved any success as an artist under the DJ’s tutelage. Eventually Jackson signed with Trackmasters, a successful production team responsible for Jay Z and Foxy Brown, among others. In 1999, Jackson landed a deal with Columbia Records and cut the tracks for what was to be his debut album, Power of the Dollar, but his continued run-ins with the law gave the label pause. In March 2000, Jackson was stabbed at a Manhattan recording studio, presumably by a rival East Coast rapper, but no one was officially held accountable. Then on May 24, 2000, right before Columbia was to release his album, Jackson was shot nine times while waiting inside a car outside his grandmother’s house in Queens. One of the bullets went through his cheek, knocking out a tooth and causing a permanent hiss in his speech, and another took out the knuckle on one of his hands, with the rest landing in his arms and thighs. Despite the notoriety Jackson gained from nearly losing his life, Columbia shelved the album, canceled filming his first video and dumped the rapper before his career had the chance to begin. He spent his recovery in a small studio with friends cutting new tracks about his violent encounters and tried peddling the new songs to music executives, but failed to capture interest in his new material—perhaps the execs were frightened off by him showing up to meetings in a bulletproof vest and surrounded by a security detail. Undeterred by his failure to find another record deal, Jackson instead released the songs independently on mix tapes distributed by bootleggers to underground clubs. Paul Rosenberg, manager for Eminem, got hold of a tape and handed it off to his client, who was so impressed that he immediately declared Jackson to be his favorite artist. After Eminem passed the tape onto Doctor Dre, who also loved the music, Jackson was flown out to Los Angeles for a meet and greet. Though a deal was proposed, Jackson shopped around, but ultimately agreed to a seven-figure contract with Eminem’s Shady Records, Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records, a subsidiary of Vivendi Universal. Jackson’s much-hyped debut album, Get Rich or Die Trying, sold over 800,000 copies its first week and went on to reach number one on several charts, including the Billboard 200, and ultimately reached multi-platinum success. Eminem even featured the first single, Wanksta, in “8 Mile” (2002), the rags-to-riches story loosely based on the Detroit rapper’s life. While making an explosive entrance into the pop music arena, Jackson managed to retain his penchant for getting into trouble with the law. In October 2002, Jackson was suspected of being involved in the murder of his former mentor, Jam Master Jay. Then on New Year’s Eve that same year, he was arrested and thrown in prison for gun possession. But nothing deterred the rapper from becoming one of the top-selling artists in the nation. Jackson’s second album, The Massacre, fared as well as his first, reaching number one on all relevant charts and helping to push his total album sales close to the 20 million mark to date. Meanwhile, Jackson began to diversify his celebrity by appearing in features and on television. He appeared as himself in “Beef” (2003), a documentary about the social, political and economic ramifications of rap and its increasingly controversial nature. After voicing himself on an episode of “The Simpsons” (Fox, 1990- ), Jackson played his first fictional role in the straight-to-video gansta thriller, “Full Clip” (2004). Then in 2005, Jackson had his first starring role in the more dramatic “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” in which he played a fictionalized version of himself. Directed by an unlikely Jim Sheridan (“In The Name of the Father”, “In America”), who felt a sort of kinship with the rapper because of a similar upbringing in a rough part of Dublin (though it’s believed Sheridan never sold crack to make his way), the film took events from Jackson’s life almost verbatim—a murdered mother, dealing crack and becoming a rapper—and lumped them together into a typical rags-to-riches narrative. The familiar story was panned by most critics, who felt the story was boring and derivative, and Jackson’s acting skills inept.

Milestones

2005 Voiced himself on the episode 'Pranksta Rap' of "The Simpsons" (FOX) 
2005 Released second album, "The Massacre" 
2005 First starring role in director Jim Sheridan's "Get Rich or Die Tryin'," playing a fictionalized version of himself 
2005 Earned multiple Grammy nominations, including Best Rap Album for "The Massacre" 
2004 Cast in his first fictional role in the straight-to-video gansta thriller, "Full Clip" 
2003 The G-Unit debuted, "Beg for Mercy," with 50 Cent as executive producer 
2003 Appeared as himself in "Beef," a documentary about the social, political and economic ramifications of rap and its increasingly controversial nature 
2002 Signed a seven-figure contract with Eminem's Shady Records, Doctor Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records 
2002 Released the much-hyped debut album, "Get Rich or Die Trying," Eminem featured the first single, Wanksta, on the "8 Mile" soundtrack 
2000 Jackson was shot nine times, while the rapper sat helpless in the passenger seat of a car; this led Columbia to shelve "Power of the Dollar" and part ways with the now-controversial rapper 
1999 Signed with Trackmasters, a successful production duo (comprised of Poke and Tone) responsible for Jay Z and Foxy Brown 
1999 Through Trackmasters, landed a deal with Columbia Records and cut the tracks for what was to be his debut album, "Power of the Dollar" 
1996 Began an apprenticeship with Jay Master Jay of Run DMC fame, who signed the fledgling rapper to his tiny JMJ Records label; not much resulted from this collaboration 
Returned to the rap underground where he formed a collective (G-Unit, which also featured Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo) and began churning out mixtape tracks 
Raised in Jamaica, Queens, New York 
Raised by grandmother and turned to selling drugs at an early age 
Sentenced to three to nine years in prison for possession of heroin, crack and a starter pistol; earned GED while in prison and released in 1995 
Began rapping as an alternative to selling drugs after being released from prison