50 Cent
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- For the U.S. currency value, see Half dollar (United States coin).
50 Cent | |
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| File:9579274new.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), commonly known by his rap name 50 Cent, is an African-American gangsta rapper who rose to fame following the success of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin' and The Massacre. 50 Cent achieved multi-platinum success with both albums, selling around 22 million albums worldwide. Jackson is known for his tough guy image, and prides himself on having been shot at nine times and surviving the ordeal.
Early life
Curtis James Jackson III grew up in the South Side of Jamaica, Queens, New York in poverty-stricken circumstances. When he was eight years old, his mother was murdered in her home in a drug deal, and 50 Cent moved in with his grandparents. He soon became immersed in the drug trade, hustling around his native neighborhood by the name of "Boo Boo." Later he was shot at 9 times (3 hit) and stabbed. By embracing that reputation, 50 Cent built a large following in New York before ever signing a major record deal. This was exemplified in 1995, when he featured in the video for 'Incarcerated Scarfaces' by Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan.
50 Cent met up with Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC and was signed to his label to write all of his music. After leaving Jam Master Jay, he teamed up with the hip-hop production duo Track Masters. 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 the drug kingpin Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff who was the leader of the New York gang called the "Supreme Team." In the song he says, "'Preme was the Business man and Prince (Supreme's cousin) was the killer." 50 had once worked with McGriff and the Supreme Team and they were not pleased about him leaving the business. His debut album Power of the Dollar was shelved, and subsequently 50 Cent left Columbia Records shortly after being shot on May 24, 2000.
Eminem first heard 50 Cent on 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[citation needed], 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.
The popularity of G-Unit
In its first week of release, his debut "Get Rich Or Die Tryin'" sold 872,000 copies[citation needed]. The album was certified gold in its first week and platinum the next, and it broke the record for first week sales of any major label debut in the entire Soundscan era. On April 12, 2004 "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" was certified six times platinum by the RIAA.
In 2005, 50 Cent released his sophomore album, The Massacre. It was originally entitled St. Valentine's Day Massacre, but the title changed when the album release date was set back. He scored a hit with the album's first two singles, "Disco Inferno" and "Candy Shop". The third single, "Just A Lil' Bit" peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. 50 Cent is currently working on his new album entitled "Can't Stay Away" due for release on July 18th 2006[citation needed]; however, Eminem pushed the album back to an unknown date in March 2006.[citation needed] 50 cnet is one of the worst rappers in the whole country for his bad language and non appropriate behavior.
In 2003, Interscope granted 50 Cent his own label, G-Unit Records. 50 Cent appointed his manager Sha Money XL as the president. [1] The label signed on Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo and Young Buck as the established members of G-Unit. In 2004, Dr. Dre and 50 Cent had signed The Game under a joint venture. 50 Cent also signed Olivia and Mobb Deep to G-Unit Records in 2005. [2] [3]. The rapper is planning on signing Spider Loc, M.O.P., and Mase, from Bad Boy Records. [4] 50 Cent has expressed interest in working with other rappers outside of G-Unit such as Freeway of Roc-A-Fella Records. [5]
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 VitaminWater 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.
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 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. [6]
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." [7]
New York rappers
50 Cent also has a rivalry with Shyne, Nas, 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 track "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 friends 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 over 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's departure from Columbia Records. 50 Cent and Jay-Z eventually settled their "beef".
The Game
50 Cent currently has an escalating feud with The Game. The Game, who was previously 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 after a confrontation outside the Hot 97 radio station. As the situation 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'"(over 14 minutes long), 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 rebuttals 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.
Other controversies
Frequently mentioned is how 50 Cent was shot nine times, however, this is much of an exaggeration. In the 2000 shooting, he was shot at nine times, yet he himself was only hit by three bullets.[8][9]
The moniker "50 Cent" originally belonged to Brooklyn drug dealer Kelvin Martin. Martin 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, which he did with the release of "Sorry Ms. Jackson, and Checkmate". 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 another boycott, this time 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. [10] 50 Cent's Canadian tour went on as planned [11].
Discography
| Album Cover | Album Information | Alternate Cover |
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Power of the Dollar
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Guess Who's Back?
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Get Rich or Die Tryin'
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The Massacre
, #2 (SWE)
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Get Rich or Die Tryin' (soundtrack)
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| DVD Cover | DVD Information |
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| The New Breed |
Singles
| 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 | - | - | 8 Mile |
| 2002 | "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 | "Westside Story" (The Game Featuring 50 Cent) | 93 | 8 | - | - | The Documentary |
| 2004 | "How We Do" (The Game Featuring 50 Cent) | 4 [Platinum] | 2 | 2 | 5 | The Documentary |
| 2005 | "Hate It or Love It" (The Game Featuring 50 Cent) | 2 | 1 (2 weeks) | 1 (4 weeks) | 4 | The Documentary |
| 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" (Mobb Deep featuring 50 Cent and Nate Dogg) | - | - | - | - | Get Rich or Die Tryin' [Soundtrack] |
| 2006 | "Best Friend (Remix)"(featuring Olivia) | 56 | 22 | Get Rich or Die Tryin' [Soundtrack] |
See also
- Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005 film)
- Awards and Nominations
- Songs and Appearances
- List of musical artists from New York
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 Group
- 50 Cent: Bulletproof site
Other