Introduction Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), better known by his stage name 50 Cent. 50 cent is an American rapper and he was actor too. He was born and raised in South Jamaica, a poverty- stricken urban neighborhood in Queens, New York City.

Early career In 1996, when he was 21 years old, Jackson started rapping in a friend's basement. He used turntables to record over instrumentals. Another friend introduced him to Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC who was organizing his label Jam Master Jay Records. In 1999, after leaving Jam Master Jay, the platinum-selling producers Trackmasters took notice of Jackson and signed him to Columbia Records. They sent him to a studio in Upstate New York where he produced thirty-six songs in two weeks.

Shooting On May 24, 2000, Jackson was attacked by a gunman, outside his grandmother's former home in South Jamaica, Queens. He went into a friend's car, but was asked to return to the house to get jewelry. An assailant then walked up to Jackson's left side with a 9mm handgun and fired nine shots at close range. He was shot nine times: in the hand, arm, hip, both legs, chest, and his face (his left cheek).

rehabilitation His training regimen helped him achieve his physique recognized worldwide not only for their tattoos at the time... because of their large muscle mass, 50 had become fully rehabilitated, instead of being the opposite.

Rise to fame In 2002, Eminem listened to a copy of Jackson's Guess Who's Back? CD. He received the CD through Jackson's attorney, who was working with Eminem's manager Paul Rosenberg. Impressed with the album, Eminem invited Jackson to fly to Los Angeles.

Film and Television In 2005, Jackson made a cameo appearance on The Simpsons episode. He starred in the 2006 film Home of the Brave, as a soldier returning home from the Iraq War, traumatized after killing an Iraqi woman. Jackson is working on a role as a fighter in an Angola State Prison in Spectacular Regret alongside Nicolas Cage, and starred opposite Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in 2008's Righteous Kill, a movie regarding a police death.