Curtis James Jackson - better known as 50 Cent - was born July 6, 1975 in Queens, New York City. He rose to fame with the release of his first album in 2003, Get Rich or Die Tryin'.
The rapper's early life was a bit troubled. He began drug dealing when he was just twelve years old, during the 1980s crack epidemic. His mother, who gave birth to him when she was fifteen, was also a cocaine dealer and died from a gas leak in her apartment after drinking a drugged drink - Jackson was eight years old at the time. He moved in with his grandparents who raised him for the rest of his adolescence.
After being released from correctional boot camp, he adopted the name '50 Cent,' which he viewed as a metaphor for change. He started rapping when he was 21 in his friends basement, and unofficially released an album in 2000.
One of the biggest hardships in the rapper's life was in 2000, when he was attacked by a gunman and shot nine times. He spent thirteen days in the hospital recovering, and still maintains a bullet fragment in his tongue. The alleged shooter was Mike Tyson's bodyguard, and was killed three weeks later.
In 2002, Eminem listened to a copy of his album, Guess Who's Back?. He was very much impressed with the album and invited Jackson to fly to Los Angeles. He was introduced to Dr. Dre where he signed a $1 million record deal. This was followed by the release of his commercial debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin,', 2005's Massacre, and hit singles such as "In da Club" and "Candy Shop."
50 Cent's fifth studio album, Street King Immortal was released in February 2013 as a commemoration for Get Rich or Die Tryin'.
50 Cent has also appeared in film and television, including The Simpsons. He also made his business debut with companies such as Rebook and Glaceau vitamin water. On the philanthropy side, he does a lot of charity work for children in Africa. In July 2011 he announced that his goal was to provide food for one billion starving people in Africa by 2016.