Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, entrepreneur, investor, record, film, and television producer. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of the borough of Queens, Jackson began selling drugs at age twelve during the 1980s crack epidemic. Although he left drug-dealing to pursue a musical career, he was struck by nine bullets in a 2000 shooting. After Jackson released the compilation album Guess Who's Back? in 2002, he was discovered by Eminem and signed by Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records.

With the aid of Eminem and Dr. Dre (who produced his first major-label album, Get Rich or Die Tryin'), Jackson became one of the world's best selling rappers and rose to prominence with East Coast hip hop group G-Unit (which he leads de facto). In 2003 he founded G-Unit Records, signing his G-Unit associates Young Buck, Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo. Jackson had similar commercial and critical success with his second album, The Massacre, which was released in 2005. He released his fifth studio album, Animal Ambition, in 2014 and is working on his sixth studio album: Street King Immortal, scheduled for release in 2016.

During his career Jackson has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and won several awards, including a Grammy Award, thirteen Billboard Music Awards, six World Music Awards, three American Music Awards and four BET Awards. He has pursued an acting career, appearing in the semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005), the Iraq War film Home of the Brave (2006) and Righteous Kill (2008). 50 Cent was ranked the sixth-best artist of the 2000s, the third-best rapper (behind Eminem and Nelly), and Get Rich or Die Tryin' and The Massacre were ranked the 12th and 37th best albums of the decade by Billboard.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Pop Culture Geek (50 Cent) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

50 Cent, born Curtis James Jackson III, is an award-winning rapper, entrepreneur, actor and producer from Queens, New York. Recognized as one of the most talented and prolific music artists of his time, the Grammy Award winner rose to fame with his record-shattering debut album “Get Rich or Die Tryin'” and has since sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and been awarded numerous prestigious accolades. Jackson has leveraged his star power to cross over with unparalleled success as an entrepreneur, actor and producer. From “Get Rich or Die Tryin'” being one of the fastest selling albums in history to creating one of the most influential deals in hip-hop with the sale of Vitaminwater, Jackson continues to break records. He currently has the biggest premiere of a series ever on Starz with “Power Book II: Ghost.”

Jackson has carved out a thriving television and film career as both a best in class producer and star. In 2005, he founded G-Unit Film & Television Inc., which has produced a wide range of content across numerous platforms and sold a myriad of shows to various networks. Among these is the critically-acclaimed #1 show on Starz, Power, in which he not only co-starred but also served as executive producer and director. He has successfully focused on the expansion of the Power universe with spinoffs Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan and Power Book IV: Force. G-Unit Film & Television also produced ABC's For Life, is currently in production on season three of the hit series, Black Mafia Family, for Starz and recently released the Black Mafia Family docuseries. In 2023, Jackson announced a non-exclusive multi-project development deal with FOX. G-Unit Film & Television is also in development on the scripted series Fightland and Queen Nzinga for Starz as well as Trill League at BET+. Untitled is in development for Paramount+ with Chad Stahelski attached to direct. Lady Danger starring Nicki Minaj is set at Freevee. G-Unit Film & Television recently released Hip Hop Homicides on WeTV. Jackson is also expanding into the podcast space through his new G-Unit Audio banner with the return of Surviving El Chapo: The Twins Who Brought Down a Drug Lord in partnership with iHeart Media and Lionsgate Sound. The company is also building out its feature slate, starting with a three picture horror deal as a collaboration with horror phenom Eli Roth and 3BlackDot and Expendables 4 upcoming with Millennium and Lionsgate.

The exceptional businessman has served as CEO of G-Unit Records since its inception in 2003 and has since signed a host of multi-platinum artists. In 2003 Jackson launched the G-Unity Foundation to support programs that foster social and leadership skills in young people living in cities nationwide. Jackson also continues to widen his brand, and in 2016, launched luxury wine and spirits company, Sire Spirits, that owns Le Chemin du Roi Champagne and Branson Cognac. Jackson is the author of seven novels, which includes three New York Times Best Sellers: “From Pieces to Weight,” “The 50th Law with Robert Greene” and “Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter.”

Additionally, in January 2020, Jackson received a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame as well as was awarded a NAACP award for Best Director in a Drama Series. In 2023 Jackson embarked on a global tour “The Final Lap Tour” with over 103 shows across 35 Countries which kicked off in North America and continued through Europe, and Australia with over 1 Million tickets sold.