Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson Biography

Date of Birth: July 6, 1975

Born in Queens, New York, Curtis Jackson was raised by a single mother until he was eight. When his mother was shot to death at the age of 23, Curtis was raised by his grandparents.

An early aspiration for the boy was to be a boxer, and he was often in trouble with the law. The birth of a son put things in perspective, and he decided instead to pursue rap seriously. In 1999, he was signed by Columbia Records. However, in April 2000 he was shot nine times in front of his grandmother's house in Queens. While he was still recovering, Columbia dropped him.

Undaunted, Jackson released his own CD, which got the attention of Eminem, who, along with Dr. Dre, signed Jackson to a $1 million record deal. He burst onto the scene in 2003 with his landmark "Get Rich or Die Tryin'." The album went on to sell more than 12 million copies worldwide and garnered numerous awards and accolades.

His solid fan base led to Jackson starring in a semi-autobiographical movie named for his hit album, in which he plays an aspiring rapper who becomes a drug dealer after his mother is murdered. His latest film credit is in the action flick Den of Thieves (2018) opposite Gerard Butler.

Filmography:

Streets of Blood (2009)
Righteous Kill (2008)
The Ski Mask Way (2008)
Home of the Brave (2006)
Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005)