Is 50 cent alive? Music was Curtis' main goal.

Biography, life story of 50 Cent

50 Cent (real name Curtis Jackson) was born on July 6th, 1976 in Jamaica, Queens - one of the poorest black neighborhoods in New York. His mother was involved in the drug business and sold drugs to support her family, she enjoyed great prestige in the local community. His mother was also a lesbian. In 1984 Sabrina (mother of 50 Cent "a) was found murdered, the killer was never found. Curtis" was eight years old at that time. 50 went to live with his grandparents, who were careful to ensure that Curtis did not get involved in criminal activity. But caring relatives did not follow - already in high school 50 he began to sell crack. Around the same time, Curtis Jackson, like all of his kents, began to try to rhyme and imagined himself a tough rapper, not even suspecting then that he would become one.Young Curtis took his pseudonym "50 Cent" in honor of a tough gangster from Fort Green Projects, who died shortly before. "I took over this name from him, - explains Fifty dollars. - I thought it would be cool - after all, every time they see me, they will remember him ... ". At that time, 50 Cent was still only dabbled in rap and did not at all consider composing music to be something useful, but quite started thinking seriously only when his demos began to be popular on the streets.And the final decision to take up music seriously 50 took after the birth of his son Marquis in 1997... The first person who drew attention to the ability and aspiring rapper was Jam Master Jay, a member of the legendary Run-DMC. The collaboration did not last long, but 50 Cent still remembers his mentor with respect in his voice: “Jam Master Jay was the first person who taught me to pay attention to rhythm, rhyme and so on. I will be grateful to him for the rest of my life.” In 1999, the musician met with the production team The Trackmasters and through them was introduced to the bosses of the Columbia label. Interested in the newcomer, the major gives The Trackmasters carte blanche and 50 Cent goes into the studio to record his first album. As The Trackmasters recall, in two and a half weeks of hard work in the studio, 36 songs were recorded - far more than needed for the album. Columbia liked the material and signed a contract with the rapper to release the album. And then the unexpected happened. On May 24, 2000, while leaving his family's home in Queens, 50 Cent was attacked and shot nine times, including in the face. It happened the day before 50 Cent was supposed to star with the girls from Destiny "" s Child in their debut video and a few weeks before the release of their own album. Upon learning of what had happened, Columbia felt that they pulled out the wrong card - those who were wounded in the face usually do not become stars. The contract was terminated, which 50 Cent recalls with ill-concealed glee: “By that time, I received a deposit - half the amount for which the contract was signed. The second was to be received after the release of the album. But they got scared, they said that I would not be able to perform anymore and terminated the contract. So I made money for nothing and got my records back.” “I spent 13 days in the hospital and spent a few more months at home. And I was much more scared after I was shot than when it happened - I didn’t know what to do now ... If I couldn’t perform anymore, make music ... I would return to that with which he began - the distribution of drugs. I never had a job, no insurance, nothing... I was really selling crack before I got into music... I got into music to escape the reality of the street... all I wanted to - is to make music. I couldn't do anything but music... and sell drugs." Thus, the musician received his freshly recorded and freshly mixed album “Power Of A Dollar” in his hands and was free to dispose of it as he pleased. It is not surprising that "Power Of A Dollar" immediately ended up with bootleggers, who only managed to churn out more and more new copies. There was a simple explanation for this success: along with others, the album included the maliciously-joking song "How To Rob", which listed the most famous hip-hop personalities (Master P and Timbaland among them) and how they were robbed. The noble "Robin Hood" in this song was, of course, 50 Cent himself. The party was delighted, but the victims of the "robbery" did not like the collision. And each of them considered it his duty to walk through the young rapper. “I had nothing against them, nothing personal,” says 50. “It's just a humorous ditty, a fantasy, nothing more. I was hoping that when they heard this song, they would say, “Who is this 50 Cent?”. And so it happened, and 50 Cent became a "folk" hero. Without a record deal, 50 Cent continued to write songs and, as they accumulated, "wrote" albums and distributed them through bootleggers. The second album, "Guess Who" "s Back", was released in 2001 in collaboration with Sha Money XL. Around this time, a "support group" formed around 50 Cent and became known as G-Unit. Support groups only spring up around influencers, and G-Unit was a positive testament to 50 Cent's status. In the same 2001, another album of the musician was released - "50 Cent Is The Future". Rumors about a new talent gradually reached the ears of the owners of major recording companies and the rapper fell into a real siege - everyone wanted to get him. But Eminem turned out to be the quickest of all, who noticed 50 Cent a few years ago and even managed to call him his “favorite new artist” in one interview. Before calling 50 Cent, Em, as an exemplary boy, came to consult with his mentor Dr Dre and got the go-ahead. Curtis Jackson did not consider Eminem and Dr Dre "fake", so he immediately agreed to work with them and signed a contract with Shady / Afterman Records. And he previously gave his new song "Wanksta" to the soundtrack in the film "8 Mile", which became Eminem's acting debut. The film became a big sensation and brought in a big box office, as well as the soundtrack. All those who still knew nothing about him finally learned about 50 Cent, and the mass media, on behalf of the workers, began to nervously inquire about the timing of the release of the rapper's debut album. Work on "Get Rich Or Die Tryin""" began in the fall of 2002, as soon as Eminem dealt with "8 Mile" (during this time, 50 Cent released another bootleg "No Mercy No Fear" to the people, which included the same "Wanksta "- about the "fake" rappers so unloved by Kurtis.). The work was carried out in Eminem's studio in Los Angeles, and 50 Cent recalls this time with great enthusiasm: “I can’t say that his songs turn me inside out or something like that, but I respect him - he is real. You know his mother's name, who Kim and Hailey are... He sings about his real life, and so do I. When we started working together, I realized how much strength and energy he puts into what he does. He can work on the same song for two days without being distracted by breaks! It works until it starts to consider the song a success. He is a perfectionist ... I think he got this from Dre, that one is exactly the same ... ”The rapper explains the title of his album simply and even somehow casually:“ Get rich or die ”is a long-standing life attitude that is followed many and many." "Get Rich Or Die Tryin""" was released on February 6, 2003. In total, 48 songs were recorded for the album, but only 16 were included. To avoid losses from pirated sales, the release of the album was moved a few days ahead, but based on the results of three-day sales (872 thousand copies! ) he managed to beat all the other releases that came out that week, immediately finding himself at the top of the Billboard. And then the real Glory fell on the former drug dealer. For getting to the top of the Billboard at least once is automatically considered a star, and "Get Rich Or Die Tryin" "" spent a whole month in the top in a row. In a week and a half from the start of sales, one and a half million albums were sold, which allowed 50 Cent to put a tick in the column "record debut album sales." With his success, in addition to his own incredible talent (50 Cent will obviously not die of modesty), the rapper is grateful ... to bootleggers, who, in his opinion, allowed everyone to get acquainted with his songs long before the release of his debut album. Well, at least someone pirates helped to achieve worldwide fame! "I'm not worried about that," says 50 Cent. - I get enough money, I have enough. After all, the people who buy my pirated CDs support me at concerts... I think that bootlegging is a great way to get your music out to people... Bootleggers need to feed their families too, and they won't do what does not generate income. And if people buy, if there is demand, then there will be supply. And one more thing. Thanks to pirated recordings, I can reach out to my listeners without intermediaries." "Get Rich Or Die Tryin""" was liked not only by ordinary listeners, but also by critics. Thanks to Eminem and Dr Dre, who ate a dog while producing, the album turned out to be diverse and fresh, bringing a new stream to the stagnant genre, which gave the right to music reviewers to call "Get Rich Or Die Tryin" "" one of the best works in hip-hop in recent years. years. The texts of 50 Cent also played their role - ironic and frightening, praising the author and trampling his rivals into the mud. It looks like the last one to wallow there for a long time - now the whole world prays for 50 Cent, as they prayed for Eminem a few years ago. Straight "unkempt" texts 50, talking about the illusions of street "brotherhood", the death of friends and the realities of the ghetto, have nothing to do with the readings of "glossy" rappers. 50 Cent talks about himself and his life, and he has no shortage of experience. The musical component of "Get Rich Or Die Tryin""" is distinguished by great fiction and a differentiated approach to each of the tracks. The main strength of 50 Cent is in his reality. Who, if not a former pusher, knows what is happening on the streets? Awareness of his “realness” gives the rapper the right to mock most of his colleagues: “There are too many “studio gangsters” divorced now, I think they are now 90% of the whole party. .. How can they be trusted? Until I see them in a real life situation, I won't believe they know what they're singing about." And 50 Cent is now in the public eye thanks to his fame. He lives in the same Queens and communicates with the same streets - so as not to lose a sense of reality. Sometimes he gets into unpleasant situations - like other hip-hop characters: on New Year's Eve 2003, he was arrested for illegal possession of firearms, however, no charges were filed. A week later, the offices of Violator, a firm representing 50, were riddled with bullets, but the shooter was never found. A little earlier, the organizers of the artist's concert in one of the clubs in San Francisco canceled the concert, because some craftsman distributed fake tickets and the crowd that had gathered blocked the streets in front of the club building. 50 Cent is unlikely to be happy with what is happening around him, but he is not going to give up his convictions: “I hope that I will never break ties with the street, because without knowing what is happening here, I will not be able to do what I am doing now.”

Sabrina Jackson gave birth to Curtis on July 6, 1975. “She tried to provide for me, but she didn’t see a job at Burger King as an option. It remains to bang"

On September 11, the third album of the most famous rapper 50 Cent is released. In support of "Curtis" four singles were released, of which only one has so far been able to break into a hundred Billboard. On the eve of the big clash between 50 releases and Kanye West, whose singles also don't show much agility, Blender magazine tried to find some interesting facts about Fiddy's life that you might not know yet.

His mother was a drug dealer to raise her son.
Sabrina Jackson gave birth to Curtis on July 6, 1975. “She tried to provide for me, but she didn’t see a job at Burger King as an option. All that was left was to bang." So that she could calmly "work", her son had to be left with his grandmother. “Mom replaced her presence with gifts. Every time I saw her, the real Christmas began.

Mom told him that he was conceived immaculately
“Once I asked her: “Mom, why don’t I have a father?” She replied that I came from a virgin birth, like Jesus. I tried to make you feel special."

50 never saw his father
“I don’t know who he was and I have no desire to know. Once his presence could have helped me, but that time has passed.

Before he was 50 Cent, his name was Boo-Boo
“My aunt always called me: “Come here, Boo-Boo!” It was terrible. That's when someone was called Terminator, then everyone said: "Oh-oh-oh, cool!"

In 1994, he was convicted of possession of 280 grams of crack and 110 grams of heroin.
To avoid prison, he went through a special program in a criminal camp. For six months I got up at 5.30, did push-ups and went to cut firewood.

His mom didn't date men
“I never saw men around my mother. She preferred women. But I've never seen anything about sex. It didn't affect me at all."

When 50 was 8, his mother was killed
In 1983, someone drugged Sabrina and turned on the gas in her apartment. “When they found her, the body was a complete f*ck.” He later recalled: “My biggest loss is my mother. Everything that was wrong in my life only came about because she was gone. I went to the park to sell drugs because she wasn't around."

He started dealing drugs 4 years after his mother's death
Under the same roof with Curtis lived his grandparents and eight uncles and aunts. There wasn't enough money. “Hustling was my only outlet. I wasn't thinking about a career, I was just looking for immediate gratification."

The first customers were uncles and aunts
“They were having a party, and at that time cocaine was like marijuana – everywhere. I promised them to get it and ran for my bag. And then I started every day from 3 to 6. My grandparents thought I was on an after-school program.”

... but one uncle found out about this bag
And he began to pour from there for his needs. 50 beat a relative with a stick. "Since then, Uncle Star and I haven't spoken much."

Virginity 50 lost at 12
“Everything went great - I'm 12, she's 21. I stayed at my friend's house, and a friend also came to his sister. Well, I began to pester her. I was a lustful puppy and I just didn’t leave her behind!”

He had to wear grandma's clothes
After being released, 50 was mistaken for the killer due to a similar motorcycle. At first, a patrol tried to stop him, and then a helicopter pursued him. 50 climbed into my grandmother's house, changed into her dress and wig. This is how I met the police. “They must have thought, ‘What an ugly bitch! The real killer was caught the next day.

He is a rather careless father.
Does he allow his 10-year-old son Marquis to listen to his songs? "Certainly. If I’m talking about something obscene there, then I ask: “Do you understand what I’m talking about?” He usually understands. He already understands everything. Kids are like that now. The problem is that parents don't ask them questions. One night I go into his room, and he is looking at a porn site - there are such big ass chicks. "I just clicked on the link!" - He speaks. Well, children are children.

When he met Jam Master Jay he hadn't written anything yet
In 1997, 50 Cent met Run-D.M.C. member Jam Master Jay at a club. 50 has been a fan of Rakim since childhood, but by that time he had composed literally one text. "I don't remember exactly, but it was something street." However, Jay was impressed with the young rapper's pitch and eventually signed him to Columbia Records.

The birth of a son forced him to quit drug dealing
When his girlfriend Shanica Tompkins gave birth to Marquis, 50 quit crime. "The reason my mom started trading made me quit"

Ever since he was shot, he has been wearing a bulletproof vest. And still wears
When 50 started performing, his biggest complaint was that as a result of the publicity, people knew where he was. "I started wearing a vest because I knew I could play catch." In the first round of 50, the Marquis rode with him, and he also has his own bulletproof vest.

If anything, it can also be ordered for the celebration of Bar Mitzvah
50 performs at private parties of any direction. He also happened to perform at the Bar Mitzvah - a holiday, the day of the thirteenth birthday, marking the onset of maturity of a Jewish boy. “For the last Bar Mitzvah, I got 500,000 in 30 minutes. It’s not a fixed fee, but this time everything happened right at the stadium.”

He collects his own brand of sneakers.
“I have 500 pairs. And all G-Unit. All colors, limited collections. Tony Yayo has a bigger foot than mine, but he curls his toes and borrows my sneakers.”

He likes George Bush
When Kanye West criticized the President of America during the Hurricane Katrina scandal, 50 supported the MP, calling him a real "gangsta".

50 cent born in a dysfunctional family, and even in the most gangster quarter of New York, fate could not protect him from all the "charms" of such a life - drugs, crimes, shootings and imprisonment. Naturally, such a life could not but be reflected in the songs of the future rapper. However, in the life of Curtis Jackson, not everything was as easy as we would like. The mother, who sold drugs to support the family, died when Curtis was 8 years old. The father soon also left the family, and the little boy was raised by his grandmother. As a teenager, Curtis realized that the drug trade brought no small profit to his mother, and broke the law. But any criminal activity will never go unpunished. Soon Curtis Jackson began to visit the prison. These events helped him realize that it is, of course, a profitable business to engage in crime all his life, but devoting himself to rapping will be much safer and more interesting.

In 1996, Curtis met a member of the Run D.M.C. Jam Master Jay, who asks Curtis to read his lyrics to the beats on his cassette. Jay liked Curtis's reading and signed a contract with him. After failing to work with Jay, Curtis meets the New York-based duo Trackmasters, who made their mark by producing for artists such as Nas and Jay-Z.

Working on debut album 50 cent"Power of the Dollar" began when the Trackmasters helped secure a little-known rapper with Columbia Records. Even before the release of the album itself, three singles sounded on radio stations - "Your Life's on the Line", "Thug Love" and "How to Rob". The text of the last single attracted the most attention, one might say more criminal. In his story, he talks about how he would rob many rappers.After the release of this single with 50 cent a series of unfortunate events happen - first, at the Hit Factory studio in Manhattan, he is cut with a knife, and in May 2000 50 cent was shot at in the car. After nine bullets left in his body, he barely survives. As a result of such events, Columbia Records refuses to work with 50 cent. The album "Power of the Dollar" was not destined to be published, and the contract with 50 cent was terminated.

Over the next two years 50 cent closely communicated with representatives of rappers in New York and even managed to organize his own group G-Unit. They recorded songs in which their lyrics were overlaid on top of popular beats. The theme of the songs was striking in its diversity: from the humiliation of popular rappers to stories about attempts on one's own life. These songs have earned a lot of respect and popularity on the streets of New York. All this could not fail to attract the attention of representatives of the music business. After a radio interview in which the famous rapper Eminem expressed his admiration for 50 cent, a race began with various companies in the hope of getting a rising rap star. Because of this hype, Eminem still manages to sign a contract with 50 cent, however, the value of such a contract rises to seven figures. Such events could not fail to attract the attention of the press.

Eminem and Dr. Dre produce 'real' first 50 album Cent. It was on him that work began after the signing of the contract. The single "Wanksta" by Eminem, who booked a spot on the 8 Mile soundtrack for the song, reached number 13 on Billboard's Hot 100 even before the album's release. The album was called "Get Rich or Die Tryin", the single "In Da Club" (the first from this album) even took first place in the same "Hot Hundred". At this time 50 cent became the most talked about, and not so much because of his unreleased album, but because of his problems with the law. First there was an investigation into the involvement of 50 cent to the murder of Jam Master Jay (October 2002), then arrest for illegal possession of a weapon. The album "Get Rich or Die Tryin" went on sale in early February 2003. Due to the general popularity of 50 cent in everything where he was able to prove himself, the album sold almost a million copies in a week. This would be a record since 1991, when the Sound Scan sales counting system was introduced.

The G-Unit album, titled "Beg for Mercy", became the debut full-length album. It was released in 2003 and quickly went platinum. fifty cent continued to make mixes, because they previously worked for his popularity in the underground and now he did not forget about it, giving them the name "G-Unit Radio". fifty cent became executive producer of his own albums by his teammates Lloyd Banks and Young Buck. Another rapper The Game joined the team in 2004. Shared with 50 cent they released the single "How We Do". This single reached the top of many charts by the beginning of 2005. At this time 50 cent and The Game worked on their own solo projects (for The Game it was the debut album, and for 50 cent already the second) and their relationship deteriorated. fifty cent announced on the radio that The Game is no longer a member of the G-Unit team. On the same day in the evening there was a skirmish between the escort teams of 50 Cent and The Game. But these events only pushed 50 cent to a new wave of popularity. Pirated copies of the second album "The Massacre" very quickly dispersed on the Internet. The record company moved the release date back 5 days, but stores were already selling the album 24 hours before the official release.
Discography 50 cent:

The Massacre (2005)

Despite the extremely outrageous screen image (few people have not seen the video or articles in which the singer quarrels with colleagues), in real life, where there are no huge screens and bright spotlights, Curtis Jackson (this is what the real name of the rap singer sounds like) is extremely modest and secretive. Yes, he had a huge number of short-lived novels with long-haired and long-legged models, however, they did not last more than a few months.

The secret personal life of the rapper

That is why the miraculously unearthed news that the rapper has a son and an ex-wife (earlier, the son was called illegitimate, and the wife was considered just a mistress) became a real bombshell for journalists. Her name is Shanique Tompkins. Despite the fact that she and 50 Cent broke up a long time ago and earlier there were quarrels between them (which journalists were very fond of writing about, since it was one of the rare interventions in the rapper's personal life) and omissions, Shanicua gradually thawed and allowed the man to see the child.

But were there other women around the musician who wore his ring on their finger? Yes, all three. However, their stories differ dramatically:

1. Famous singer Ciara. Despite the fact that their relationship with Curtis has long been forgotten, she still speaks of the rapper with warmth and tenderness. Unfortunately, the couple was only engaged, it never came to an official marriage (the reason for the separation remained unknown even to the most experienced paparazzi, which once again confirms the secrecy of 50 Cent);

2. Chelsea Handler - this outrageous blonde (unfortunately, the ring she wore was an ordinary one, not an engagement ring) for a long time poured out quotes from her ex-relationship with 50 Cent. However, even through the prism of her impeccable, but not always censored humor (which was worth the joke about the python brought to the film studio!) Sometimes the sadness of loss slipped through: “50 Cent is completely different from what you imagine him to be. He's funny and touching!”;

3. Daphne Joy - this girl still excites the public, tempting many journalists to write about marriage and engagement, which, in fact, could not have happened. It all started with the girl’s April Fool’s tweet (“I really want to be called 50 Cent!”). The rapper, in turn, jokingly called the beauty wife. However, attentive paparazzi did not find a single ring at the “newlywed”, at least more or less similar to an engagement ring. Then, as if in jest, after a while Daphne appeared in public with an interesting ring.