50 Cent

Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975) is an East Coast rapper commonly known by his rap name 50 Cent. He 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 20 million albums worldwide. He is known for his "gangsta" image, and for having been shot at nine times of which three bullets hit him in both legs and his jaw. He currently resides in Farmington, Connecticut, in the former mansion of boxing star Mike Tyson.[1]

Biography

Early life

Curtis James Jackson III grew up in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens in New York City. Raised without a father, his mother, whom was a street crack dealer was found dead under mysterious circumstances before he became a teenager. The orphaned youth was taken in by his grandparents. He began hanging out on New York Avenue, now known as Guy R. Brewer Blvd. There, he stepped up to get a reputation, amassing a small fortune and a lengthy rap sheet. ^{[citation needed]} But the birth of his son put things in perspective for the post adolescent, and he began to pursue rap seriously.

Jam Master Jay Records

Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC detected talent in the rapper and signed him to his label, for a brief time. His first official appearance on a song was on the group Onyx song, "React", off their album "Shut 'Em Down" in 1998. Jam Master Jay began teaching 50 how to make a record.[2]

Columbia Records

After leaving Jam Master Jay, the platinum hitmakers Trackmasters took notice of 50 and signed him to Columbia Records in 1999. They shipped 50 to Upstate NY where they locked him up in the studio for 2 1/2 weeks. He turned out 36 songs in this short period, which resulted in "Power Of A Dollar," an unreleased masterpiece that Blaze Magazine judged a classic. ^{[citation needed]} His career took off after the release of the successful, but controversial single "How to Rob" playfully painting him as a deliriously hungry up-and-comer daydreaming of robbing famous rappers. ^{[citation needed]} Offended by this record, Jay-Z, Big Pun, Sticky Fingaz, and Ghostface Killah all replied to the song. The next single, "Ghetto Qur'an", led to a feud with a drug kingpin known as Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, founder of a gang known as the "Supreme Team." ^{[citation needed]} The song goes in depth about the business of the drug trade and exposed the names of many in the business. The debut album Power of the Dollar was shelved due to the controversies surrounding the rapper, and also led to the infamous shooting and feuds with numerous rappers affiliated with McGriff. ^{[citation needed]}

Aftermath of Shooting

In April 2000, three days before filming his video with Destiny's Child for the song "Thug Luv", 50 Cent was shot at 9 times, recieving a 9mm bullet to the jaw and a bullet in each leg, in front of his grandmother's house in Queens, New York. He spent the next few months in recovery while Columbia Records dropped him from the label. After his recovery, 50 Cent returned to the recording studio, despite having no income or backing, with his new business partner and friend Sha Money XL. The two recorded over 30 songs, strictly for mix tapes, with the sole purpose of building a reputation. 50 Cent's street value rose ^{[citation needed]} and by the end of the spring 2001 he released the new material independently on the makeshift LP, Guess Who's Back?. Beginning to attract interest, and now backed by his crew, G-Unit, 50 Cent stayed on his grind and made more songs. But it was different this time. Rather than create new songs as they had before, 50 decided to showcase his hit-making ability by retouching first-class beats which had already been used. ^{[citation needed]} They released the red, white and blue bootleg, "50 Cent Is the Future," revisiting material by Jay-Z and even Rapheal Saadiq. ^{[citation needed]}

Shady/Aftermath

After getting sign to a one million dollar deal ^{[citation needed]}, 50 quickly released another bootleg of borrowed beats, "No Mercy, No Fear." The CD featured only one new track, "Wanksta," which was certainly not intended for radio, but the streets couldn't wait for the official single ^{[citation needed]} and within weeks "Wanksta" became New York's most requested record. ^{[citation needed]} The track was put on Eminem's 8 Mile soundtrack, 50 Cent had become the most sought rapper after newcomer in almost a decade. ^{[citation needed]}

The popularity of G-Unit

In its first week of release, his debut "Get Rich Or Die Tryin'" sold 872,000 copies.^[1] 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. The rapper's debut album "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" was certified six times platinum by the RIAA. The album received some positive reviews from music critics.

Interscope then granted 50 Cent his own label, G-Unit Records. 50 Cent appointed his manager Sha Money XL as the president. ^[2] The label signed on Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo and Young Buck as the established members of G-Unit. Dr. Dre and 50 Cent had signed The Game under a joint venture. After the departure of The Game, the rapper signed singer Olivia and rap veteran Mobb Deep to G-Unit Records.^[3] Spider Loc, M.O.P., and Young Hot Rod joined G-Unit after the signing of Mobb Deep^[4]^[5]. 50 Cent has expressed interest in working with other rappers outside of G-Unit such as Lil' Scrappy of BME, LL Cool J from Def Jam, Mase from Bad Boy, or Freeway of Roc-A-Fella Records; of which some of these he has now recorded with. ^[6]

Endorsements and Projects

Since releasing Beg For Mercy with his group G-Unit, the rapper teamed up with Reebok to release his own G-Unit Sneakers. He also invested in Vitamin Water bottled water which tajes after his name Formula 50 and his own clothing line called G-Unit Heavy Weigh Clothing. 50 Cent appeared on an episode of The Simpsons entitled, "Pranksta Rap".

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 film Get Rich or Die Tryin' directed by Jim Sheridan, and co-starring Joy Bryant and Terrence Howard. He has also just released a film by the name of Home of the Brave, in which he stars alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Jessica Biel. The rapper is currently working on his upcoming role in the movie The Dance, along side Nicholas Cage. He's also set to star opposite Robert De Niro in the 2008 film New Orleans, a film regarding a police death drama.

50 Cent released a memoir about his life up to his success entitled From Pieces to Weight: Once Upon a Time in Southside Queens.

Controversy

Ja Rule and Murder Inc.

Even before signing with Interscope, 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". The conflict stemmed from the rapper's alleged robbery of Ja Rule's jewelry, which led to a confrontation and 50 Cent's stabbing.

An affidavit on The Smoking Gun^[7] suggests that the label has ties to Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, who is possibly involved in the murder of Jam Master Jay and the attempted murder of 50 Cent. 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 nine times 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."

Other New York Rappers

50 Cent began a feud with rappers Nas, Joe Budden, Fat Joe, Shyne, Jadakiss and D-Block. ^{[citation needed]}

The feud with Nas started from tension after Nas appeared on Jennifer Lopez's track "I'm Gonna Be Alright (Remix)", which 50 wanted to be on. The dispute grew underground for a while, but sparked publicly when Nas made a disrespectful comment towards 50 Cent at a free concert in New York's Central Park. ^{[citation needed]}

The feud with Joe Budden started from the 50 Cent's critical review of Joe Budden's debut album in a magazine interview. Joe Budden responded with several mixtape disses attacking the rap group's credibility. This feud continued on with The Game's involvement against Joe Budden. ^{[citation needed]}

The feud with Jadakiss and Fat Joe started from their partnership with Ja Rule. ^{[citation needed]} After they were featured in the filming of a video named New York, 50 Cent recorded a response to the rappers through a single known as "Piggy Bank". The single attacks Jadakiss, Fat Joe and imprisoned rapper Shyne for the association to Ja Rule. The feud with Shyne started from the rapper having some of his album being produced by Irv Gotti. Even though things cooled down, at the 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 his Terror Squad.

The rapper has feuds with former G-Unit members, Bang 'Em Smurf and Domination. This feud started after Bang 'Em Smurf claimed the rapper didn't assist in bailing him out of jail after being charged with a gun crime. This led to the rapper serving a three year prison sentence.

He has also criticized Lil' Kim for having breast implants and expressed his disgust of her participation in their hit single "Magic Stick," which he did not want to record with her, citing that the song was originally entitled to Miami rapper Trina. ^{[citation needed]}

The feud with Jay-Z started when the rapper released "How to Rob" and Jay-Z responded with sublimial lines targeting 50 Cent on the single "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 ended his feud with Jay-Z. Freeway, a rapper affiliate with Roc-A-Fella is working with 50 Cent to complete his sophomore album.

50 Cent began to speak negatively about Bad Boy Entertainment mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, and recorded a song targeting the mogul, which reveals the reason behind his negative feelings toward the mogul: a contract dispute over Mase. In the aforementioned song, he implied that Diddy knows about The Notorious B.I.G.'s murder and threatened to expose him through several former associates. This feud has since been resolved, with Diddy and 50 Cent appearing on MTV's TRL and Sucker Free, respectively, stating that there are no longer problems between the two.^[8]

The Game

50 Cent has an escalating feud with The Game. The Game, who was previously signed to G-Unit, was bonding with the rapper before the release of his debut The Documentary. When the album was released, 50 Cent felt that The Game was disloyal for wanting to work with artists G-Unit was feuding with. He further 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. When the situation escalated, 50 Cent and The Game tried to hold a press conference to end their feud. Fans claim the feud and particularly the incident at the radio station were a publicity stunt designed to boost the sales of the two albums the pair had just released. Nevertheless, the situation escalated when The Game's street credibility was criticized by 50 Cent and G-Unit. The group denounced The Game and claimed that their participation will not be featured on the rapper's albums. 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 "300 Bars And Runnin'" which directly addresses 50 Cent and G-Unit. The Game continued his attacks at G-Unit with a DVD entitled Stop Snitchin, Stop Lyin'. After numerous songs aimed at G-Unit, 50 Cent had responded to the The Game's rebuttals on mixtapes. The rapper's most brutal track towards The Game is "Not Rich, Still Lyin'". The song imitates The Game and attacks his credibility and his recent feud with his brother, Big Fase 100.

The Game had also released images depicting the rap group in many parodies on some of his previous mixtapes. In response, G-Unit published a mixtape cover with the rapper's head on the body of an exotic dancer.^[9] Although both rappers were once signed to the same label, this feud has led to The Game leaving Aftermath Entertainment, in order to completely resolve the matter.

Other controversies

While appearing at the Summer Jam 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 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, Jadakiss has responded on songs such as "Sorry Ms. Jackson" and "Checkmate". ^{[citation needed]} The rapper never confronted the DJ about the situation, but it did affect the relationship within 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 taken off air in the United Kingdom. The advertisement contained lyrics from one of the rapper's tracks, which resulted in complaints against their violent imagery.

50 Cent has apparently expressed support for President George W. Bush after comments were made by rapper Kanye West. After the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, 50 Cent defended the president when being criticised for his slow response in assisting the victims of the Gulf Coast region.^[10] If the rapper's felony convictions didn't prevent him from voting, 50 Cent claimed that he would have voted for Bush.^[11]

Dan McTeague, a member of Canadian Parliament suggested that the government ban 50 Cent from entering the country. McTeague said the rapper's message encourages gun violence. The rapper's tour went on as planned, only a few of the featured G-Unit acts were denied entry in Canada.^[12]

Discography

References

Toure. "The Life of a Hunted Man", Rolling Stone. (April 3 2003)

[1] ttp://uk.news.yahoo.com/dotmusic_news/28280.html

[2] ttp://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=1760

[3] ttp://www.interscope.com/artists/artists_gunit.asp

[4] ttp://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1508894/09022005/50_cent.jhtml,

[5] ttp://www.sohh.com/articles/article.php/7132

[6] ttp://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=5337

[7] ttp://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0906051murder1.html

[8] ttp://www.allhiphop.com/Hiphopnews/?ID=6111

[9] ttp://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/50%20cent%20fuels%20fire%20with%20the%20game_1003370 URL accessed on June 29, 2006

[10] ttp://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=1274052

[11] ttp://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1514482/20051123/50_cent.jhtml?headlines=true

[12] ttp://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1135119019559&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]