50 Cent is the stage name of Curtis James Jackson III, an American rapper, actor, and businessman who was born on July 6, 1975. Jackson, who was raised in Queens’ South Jamaica area, started his musical career in 2000 by producing the album Power of the Dollar for Columbia Records. Unfortunately, he was shot only days before the album’s scheduled release, therefore it was never made public. After 50 Cent’s mixtape Guess Who’s Back? was released in 2002, He was signed to Shady Records by Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records after being founded by Eminem.
Over 30 million albums have been sold globally by 50 Cent, who has also received numerous honors including a Grammy, a Primetime Emmy, thirteen Billboard Music Awards, six World Music Awards, three American Music Awards, and four BET Awards. Jackson made his acting debut in the semi-autobiographical films Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2005), Home of the Brave (2006), and Righteous Kill (2008). (2008). Billboard named 50 Cent as the third-best rapper (after Eminem and Nelly) and the sixth-best artist of the 2000s. Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and “In da Club” were rated at numbers 37 and 13, respectively, on Rolling Stone’s lists of the “100 Best Albums of the 2000s” and “100 Best Songs of the 2000s.”
