One of the best sought after rapper in the world is Curtis James Jackson III who is popularly known as 50 Cent. He was born on July 6, 1975 in South Jamaica, Queens New York, USA. He became popular not just in the world of rapping, but also as an investor, actor, as well as a record producer. Jackson was discovered by Eminem and Dr. Dre, both an American rapper, who made Jackson a record-breaking rapper. When he was at the age of 12, Jackson was involved in drug dealing during the hot issue of drugs in the United States in 1980s.

The rapping career of 50 Cent started in the year 1996 when his friend introduced him to Jam Master Jay, who owns the record label Jam Master Jay Records. Jackson thanked Jam Master Jay for all the lessons that he had learned in the world of rapping. Jay produces an album for Jackson but it was not released.

In year 1999, another producer named Trackmasters noticed the talent of Jackson and convinced him to sign in Columbia Records. Jackson was able to produced thirty six songs in a span of two weeks. In year 2000, the album Power of Dollar was not released which includes eighteen songs in his recorded album.

In May 24, 2000, Jackson was shot nine times in different parts of his body. The incident happened in his grandmother’s home in South Jamaica, Queens. The alleged gunman was named Darryl “Hommo” Baum who was killed three weeks after the shooting incident. Jackson wrote in his autobiography, From Pieces to Weight: Once upon a Time in Southside Queens, “After I got shot nine times at close range and didn’t die, I started to think that I must have a purpose in life… How much more damage could that shell have done? Give me an inch in this direction or that one, and I’m gone”. It takes almost five months for Jackson to fully recover.

In the year 2002, when Jackson released his album Guess Who’s Back?, Eminem was impressed with his songs that Jackson was invited to go in Los Angeles where he was introduced to another rapper Dr. Dre.

In the year of 2003, 50 Cent discovered the record label G-Unit Records which is popularly known to raise several prominent rappers like Lloyd Banks. His very first album was entitled Get Rich or Die Tryin’ in year 2003. This album was recognized by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song “In Da Club” was considered to be the most listened song in radio waves within a week.

The second commercial debut album of Jackson was “The Massacre” which sold 1.4 million copies in the first four days after it was released. It also becomes number one in the Billboard 200 for a span of six weeks. 50 Cent was the very first solo artist to have three songs in the Billboard in the same week. These singles are “Candy Shop”, “Disco Ferno”, as well as “How We Do.”

Jackson revealed in an interview in ContactMusic, a British Entertainment website, which he was currently working on a dance album named Black magic. Jackson added that he was influenced to made this album by the European nightclubs. The album was expected to be released in the summer of 2011. However, it was later moved to early 2012 because of certain problems with Interscope Records.

Last October 26, 2011, 50 Cent confirmed that his fifth commercial album will be released in December 2011.

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