50 Cent: Difference between revisions
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|align="left"|[[Image:Guess Whos Back (Front) Cover.jpg|center|135px]] |
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|align="left"|'''''[[Guess Who's Back?]] ''''' |
|align="left"|'''''[[Guess Who's Back?]] ''''' |
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*Released: [[May 24|May 24,]] [[2002]] <small>([[U.S.]])</small> |
*Released: [[May 24|May 24,]] [[2002]] <small>([[U.S.]])</small> |
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Revision as of 04:44, 5 March 2006
- For the U.S. currency value, see Half dollar (U.S. coin).
50 Cent | |
|---|---|
| File:9579274.jpg Grammy nominated rapper 50 Cent | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Queens, New York |
| Years active | 1999-present (solo) |
Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known commonly as 50 Cent, is a popular rapper who rose to fame following the success of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin' and The Massacre. 50 Cent is regarded as one of the most popular rappers in hip-hop. [1]
Early Life
Originally from Jamaica, Queens, New York, 50 Cent is considered a part of gangsta rap. Before signing to a record label, 50 Cent was living with his grandparents. He soon became immersed in the drug trade, hustling around his native neighborhood by the name of "Boo Boo." When the rapper was young, his mother was murdered in a drug deal and he was shot nine times and stabbed. By embracing that reputation, 50 Cent built a large following in New York before ever signing a major record deal.
50 Cent met up with Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC fame and was signed to his label, Jam Master Jay Records. After leaving Jam Master Jay Records, he teamed up with the hip-hop production duo Track Masters, who explored his talent. 50 Cent was signed to Columbia Records in 1999. The controversial single "How to Rob", an ode to robbing a slew of industry rappers, was a hit on the radio. The next single, "Ghetto Qu'ran", started a feud with drug kingpins throughout New York. His debut album Power of the Dollar was shelved, and subsequently 50 Cent left Columbia Records shortly after being shot in 2000.
Eminem first experienced 50 Cent's musical offerings by listening to one of his mixtapes, which he brought to Dr. Dre's attention. Eminem expressed interest in the rapper on MTV. After numerous negotiations with various record labels, 50 Cent officially signed to Interscope Records. The rapper was also the first to sign onto a joint effort between Eminem's Shady Records and Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. Interscope marketed 50 Cent as the "real deal", and his appearance on the 8 Mile Soundtrack ("Wanksta") immediately went into heavy rotation on BET, MTV, and radio stations across the country.
Endorsements
After the release of Beg For Mercy from his group G-Unit, he teamed up with Reebok to release his own G-Unit Sneakers. He also invested in bottled water and his own clothing line. 50 Cent appeared on an episode of The Simpsons entitled, "Pranksta Rap" in February 2005.
A video game starring 50 Cent, called "50 Cent: Bulletproof," is available on the PlayStation 2, the Xbox, and the PlayStation Portable.
50 Cent starred in the semi-autobiographical 2005 film Get Rich or Die Tryin' directed by Jim Sheridan, and co-starring Joy Bryant and Terrence Howard.
In 2006, he appeared in P!nk's music video, Stupid Girls.
50 Cent released a memoir about his life up to his success entitled From Pieces to Weight: Once Upon a Time in Southside Queens; the book was released on August 9, 2005. There are other books planned for release in 2007.
Controversy
Ja Rule and Murder Inc. Records
Before even signing to Eminem's and Dr. Dre's label, 50 Cent was engaged in a well-publicized dispute with rival rapper Ja Rule and his label Murder Inc. Records. The rappers engaged in numerous mix tape "disses," but have since ended the conflict. The conflict stemmed from the rapper's alleged robbery of Ja Rule's jewelry, which led to a confrontation and 50 Cent's stabbing.
Before the release of Get Rich Or Die Tryin, Murder, Inc alongside The Source began a smear campaign against the rapper. A restraining order document was floating around the Internet stating that 50 Cent had placed label CEO Irv Gotti and rapper Black Child in the document forging a belief that 50 Cent is a "snitch" or a police informant. Although 50 Cent dismissed the claims of not talking to police, the bad publicity continues to be a tool used by various rappers who have rivalries with G-Unit.
This was one of the most well known feuds in hip-hop history. 50 Cent accused Ja Rule of "singing" instead of rapping. Ja Rule retaliated, accusing him of insulting other rappers to gain fame. Ja Rule eventually tried to squash the beef with 50 Cent by using Louis Farrakhan in a televised interview. Ja Rule soon lost credibility when the interview was done a day before his album Blood In My Eye was released, leading 50 Cent to dismiss the interview as a blatant publicity stunt. 50 Cent had not commented much on Ja Rule's and Irv Gotti's situation. The FBI is probing Murder Inc.'s ties to drug-kingpin Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff who is possibly involved in the murder of Jam Master Jay. [2]
According to website The Smoking Gun a 2003 search warrant affidavit for the Manhattan offices of the Murder, Inc. record label showed that McGriff was still trying to kill 50 Cent and that he "communicates with Murder, Inc. employees concerning the target." An excerpt of the affidavit reads:
"The investigation has uncovered a conspiracy involving McGriff and others to murder a rap artist who has released songs containing lyrics regarding McGriff's criminal activities. The rap artist was shot in 2000, survived and there after refused to cooperate with law enforcement regarding the shooting. Messages transmitted over the Murder Inc. Pager indicate that McGriff is involved in an ongoing plot to kill this rap artist, and that he communicates with Murder Inc. employees concerning the target." [3]
New York Rappers
50 Cent also has a rivalry with Shyne, Nas, Lil' Kim, Joe Budden, Fat Joe, Jadakiss and D-Block. He claimed that Nas had made disparaging comments about him and his G-Unit camp while performing at a New York concert. The rapper has denounced Nas as a traitor over the allying himself with Ja Rule and Irv Gotti. 50 Cent points out that Jadakiss and Fat Joe had painted a target on themselves for partnering up with Ja Rule while filming a video in which the rapper took shots at him. He recorded the "Piggy Bank" and attacked Jadakiss and Fat Joe for their association with Ja Rule. Shyne was named as an enemy of 50 Cent. Shyne had Irv Gotti produce his album, and 50 Cent also attacked him for this association. Even though things cooled down, at 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, Fat Joe made a disparaging comment about G-Unit during a performance. 50 Cent and G-Unit retaliated on set by shouting obscenities toward Fat Joe and Terror Squad.
50 Cent has a long-standing dispute with former freinds Bang 'Em Smurf and Domination over internal conflicts. On the song "Love Me" off the 8 Mile soundtrack, 50 Cent criticized Lil' Kim for having breast implants and discusses why he refused her request to be in a video clip for her single "Magic Stick", which he refused to record with her, citing that the song was originally entitled to Miami rapper Trina.
50 Cent also had a feud with Jay-Z. Jay-Z did not take too kindly to 50 Cent's mention of him on "How to Rob" and responded with a line in his song "It's Hot". 50 Cent responded with "Be a Gentleman." The track was never heard by many due to the rapper departure from Columbia Records. 50 Cent and Jay-Z eventually squashed their beef, and they toured together in 2003. Jay-Z and 50 Cent even appeared in a Reebok commercial together and are planning on working with rapper Freeway's sophomore album.
The Game
50 Cent currently has an escalating feud with The Game. The Game, who was previously co-signed to G-Unit, was booted by 50 Cent. Fans mostly believed that 50 Cent and The Game were bonding at the time of The Documentary's release. The Game's major debut album was surrounded by controversy. Right after its release, 50 Cent felt that the rapper was disloyal for saying he wanted to work with artists G-Unit were feuding with and he formally dismissed the rapper.
50 Cent also claimed that he was not getting proper credit for the debut of the album. During that dispute, a member of The Game's entourage was shot and wounded after confrontation at Hot 97. After the situation between them escalated, 50 Cent and The Game decided to hold a press conference to announce their reconciliation. Many fans felt that the supposed feud, and particularly the incident at the radio station was a publicity stunt designed to boost the sales of the two albums the pair had just released. Nevertheless, even after the situation had apparently deflated, 50 Cent and G-Unit continued to feud with The Game, denouncing his street credibility in the media and claiming that without their support, he will not score a hit from his second album. The Game during a performance at the Summer Jam launched a boycott called "G-Unot".
After the performance at Summer Jam, The Game responded with a hard hitting diss titled "300 Bars And Runnin'", which directly addresses 50 Cent and G-Unit. 50 Cent has mixed feelings towards the diss, but nevertheless responded through his "Piggybank" video, which features The Game dressed as a Mr. Potato Head and parodies many other rivals. After numerous songs aimed at G-Unit, 50 Cent had responded to the The Game's rebutals with a diss song titled "Not Rich, Still Lyin." The song imitates The Game and attacks his credibility and his recent feud with his brother, Big Fase 100. This was the first of many feuds where two rappers from the same label were involved against each other.
Kanye West
50 Cent has express concerns with Kanye West, whom he accuses of being soft and a more acceptable face to the American public. It's assumed that jealousy over not winning a Grammy for his albums has spurred a feud between the rapper and West. Though West has recieved more praise for his works, the rapper has put his down to the fact that West is not living the controversial lifestyle as 50 Cent. He has pointed to his often superior record sales as evidence of his real success.
50 Cent has stated that he deserves credit for the sucessful career of Kanye West. [4] In addition to this, after the statements Kanye West made about Hurricane Katrina, 50 Cent has spoken out against Kanye's comments, saying "The New Orleans disaster was meant to happen. It was an act of God." [5].
Other controversies
The original name was given to Kelvin Martin. Martin became a well-known drug dealer who managed to claim his success through the robbery and murder of local officials. Well enough, at least, for Curtis Jackson to take on the name and adopt the legacy. The documentary Infamous Times: The Original 50 Cent the infamous gangster was released on DVD. After the dispute with The Game escalated, 50 Cent sued The Game's manager Jimmy "Henchmen" Rosemond over unauthorized filming for a documentary about Kelvin Martin. The family of Martin do not endorse the rapper.
While appearing at the Summer Jam XI concert in New York, 50 Cent and members of G-Unit were criticized for speaking out against other notable artists including R&B singer R. Kelly. Before going onstage, 50 Cent mentioned R. Kelly's pending child pornography trial. He and his crew received mixed reactions from the crowd and chairs were thrown onstage, forcing 50 Cent and his G-Unit crew to leave the stage for safety reasons.
The rapper also had a falling out with Eminem's former deejay Green Lantern. The deejay has been labeled a "snitch" and "traitor" for his apparent phone conversation with rival Jadakiss. The rapper had a phone interview with DJ Green Lantern over the feud with 50 Cent. The DJ was apparently encouraging Jadakiss to "deliver a major blow" to 50 Cent. The rapper never confronted the DJ about the situation, but it did affect the relationship within the Shady Records. The situation forced Green Lantern to leave Shady Records and other ventures associated with Eminem.
On a taping of The O'Reilly Factor, conservative commentator Bill O'Reilly has urged boycotts against rap music. O'Reilly named 50 Cent as a target of his crusade to prevent rappers who promote bad behavior from endorsing mainstream merchandise. He criticized shoe maker Reebok for partnering up with 50 Cent to endorse his G-Unit Sneakers. O'Reilly has rallied a boycott against the shoe maker. Despite the boycott, sales remain excellent, and Reebok still continues to endorse 50 Cent's products. However, a television advertisement for Reebok which featured 50 Cent was recently taken off air in the United Kingdom. The advertisement contained lyrics from one of 50's tracks, which resulted in complaints against their violent imagery of life.
Dan McTeague, a member of Canadian Parliament suggested that the government ban 50 Cent from entering the country. McTeague said the rapper's message was inappropriate at a time when its largest city Toronto was experiencing a huge increase in gun violence. [6] 50 Cent's Canadian tour did go on as planned [7].
Discography
| Album Cover | Album Information | Alternate Cover |
|---|---|---|
Guess Who's Back?
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Get Rich or Die Tryin'
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The Massacre
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Get Rich or Die Tryin' (soundtrack)
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| Year | Song | US Hot 100 | US R&B/ Hip-Hop | US Rap | UK Singles | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | "How To Rob" (featuring The Madd Rapper) | - | 62 | - | - | - |
| 2002 | "Wanksta" | 13 | 4 | - | - | Get Rich or Die Tryin |
| 2003 | "In Da Club" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | Get Rich or Die Tryin |
| 2003 | "Patiently Waiting" (featuring Eminem) | - | 56 | - | - | Get Rich or Die Tryin |
| 2003 | "21 Questions" (featuring Nate Dogg) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | Get Rich or Die Tryin |
| 2003 | "P.I.M.P." | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | Get Rich or Die Tryin |
| 2003 | "What Up Gangsta" | - | 26 | 15 | - | Get Rich or Die Tryin |
| 2003 | "If I Can't" | 76 | 34 | 15 | 10 | Get Rich or Die Tryin |
| 2004 | "Disco Inferno" | 3 | 4 | 3 | - | The Massacre |
| 2005 | "Candy Shop" (featuring Olivia) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | The Massacre |
| 2005 | "Piggy Bank" | 88 | 64 | - | - | The Massacre |
| 2005 | "Just a Lil Bit" | 3 | 3 | 1 | 10 | The Massacre |
| 2005 | "Outta Control (Remix)" (featuring Mobb Deep) | 6 | 11 | 5 | 7 | The Massacre [Special Edition] |
| 2005 | "Outta Control" (Original Album Version) | 92 | - | - | - | The Massacre |
| 2005 | "Hustlers Ambition" | 65 | 74 | - | 13 | Get Rich or Die Tryin' [Soundtrack] |
| 2005 | "Window Shopper" | 20 | 19 | 14 | 11 | Get Rich or Die Tryin' [Soundtrack] |
| 2005 | "Have A Party" (Featuring Mobb Deep and Nate Dogg) | - | - | - | - | Get Rich or Die Tryin' [Soundtrack] |
| 2006 | "Best Friend (Remix) (featuring Olivia)" | 72 | Get Rich or Die Tryin' [Soundtrack] |
DVDs
| DVD Cover | DVD Information |
|---|---|
| The New Breed |
Note
- Many sources incorrectly list 50 Cent's birth year as 1976. See the article on age fabrication and relevant information on the talk page for details.
- 50 Cent enjoyed a short stint in the United States Air Force; briefly attending pilot training at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma in the fall of 1998. His service was terminated due to a previously undiagnosed astigmatism which rendered him medically ineligible.
See also
References
- Toure. "The Life of a Hunted Man", Rolling Stone. (April 3 2003)
External links
Official
- 50 Cent Official Site
- Aftermath Entertainment page
- Shady Records
- G-Unit Records
- Violator Management profile
- 50 Cent: Bulletproof site
Other