50 CENT
50 Cent began gaining a rep on the infamous New York Avenue (a.k.a. Guy R. Brewer Blvd.) and he also gained fat pockets along with a fat rap sheet. 50 Didn't even blink at his lifestyle until his son was born and that's when 50 began to explore the rap game. He signed on with JMJ (Jam Master Jay's label) and began perfecting his skills. JMJ tried teach him stucture, but 50 got caught up in industry BS and there just wasn't much JMJ could do for 50.
Luckily the Trackmasters got wind of 50 and signed him to Columbia Records back in '99 and took him upstate NY. They holed up for two and a half weeks as 50 turned out 36 songs that which resulted in "Power of A Dollar," an unreleased album that the now defunct Blaze Magazine deemed a classic.
The album's stick up kid anthem "How to Rob" blazed like fire as it playfully painted him as a deliriously hungry up-and-comer daydreaming of robbing famous rappers. But 50 and the fans were the only ones laughing because those cats he talked about robbing, namely Jay-Z, Big Pun, Sticky Fingaz, and Ghostface Killah all replied to the song.
Following the release of "How to Rob," 50 Cent was shot 9 times, including a .9mm bullet to the face, in front of his Grandmothers house in Queens in April of 2000. He spent months in recovery while Columbia Records dropped him citing that he was a risk to the company. But 50 didn’t even blink, he went into a zone and banged mad tracks back to back with no income, no label deal, no following and no backing. He and his new business partner and friend Sha Money XL recorded over 30 songs, strictly for mix-tapes, with the soul purpose of building a buzz.
50 Cent's street credibility was rising and by the end of the Spring of 2001 he independently released new material. Only now he was backed by his crew G-Unit and once again, 50 had begun attracting attention. 50 was still pumping out tracks but this time around instead of making new cuts, he showcased all his joints by remaking first class beats which had already been used. 50 and the G-Unit released the red, white and blue bootleg called, "50 Cent is the Future." He revisited material by artists from Jay-Z to Raphael Saadiq.
The CD caught the attention of Eminem and he was heard on the radio saying, "50 Cent is my favorite rapper right now." Then Eminem and his mentor Dr. Dre began to give 50 his props which caused a major wave in 50's career. All of a sudden 50 Cent was becoming the most sought after newcomer in almost 10 years.
By now 50 had become a business man and he didn’t let the opportunity escape him. He quickly released another bootleg of borrowed beats called, "No Mercy, No Fear." The CD featured only one new track, "Wanksta." That was all it took for 50's name to get thrust back out there. "Wanksta" was definitely not intended for radio, and radio stations just couldn’t wait for the official single to drop so within weeks "Wanksta" had become New York’s most requested record and it ended up on the multi-platinum soundtrack to '8-Mile.'
50 had several major hits under his belt, and in 2003 he appeard in his first major film role along with dropping his official debut album, "Get Rich or Die Trying," he was more than a household name. People either loved him or hated him & there was no in between.
Later that year, "The New Breed," a DVD with a bonus CD including new songs, charted #2 Pop and #1 R&B/Hip-Hop. His second album was in 2005, "The Massacre." It was the second biggest-selling album of the year and is now seven times platinum worldwide.
50 Cent is now gearing up to release his third cd entitled "Curtis" on June 25th. “Straight to the Bank,” is the title of the album’s first street track. "Curtis" features guest appearances by Eminem, Akon, Justin Timberlake, Mary J. Blige, Robin Thicke, and Nicole Scherzinger from the Pussycat Dolls.
Whether you love him or hate'em you gotta respect his gangsta. 50's making moves no matter what. Just keep your eyes on him and your ears to the street.
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