50 Cent

50 Cent (born Curtis James Jackson III) is a rapper, actor and producer known for building a successful entertainment empire through music, television and business ventures. 50 Cent was born in Queens, New York, where he was raised by his mother before being brought up by his grandparents after his mother’s death when he was 8 years old. Jackson attended Andrew Jackson High School but was expelled in the 10th grade. He later earned his GED while pursuing music, dealing with a rocky upbringing marked by early encounters with law enforcement.

50 Cent began rapping in the late 1990s and gained attention with the underground single “How to Rob.” After surviving a near-fatal shooting in 2000, he returned to music with a series of mixtapes that caught the attention of Eminem and Dr. Dre, who signed him to Shady Records, and, later, Aftermath Entertainment. His 2003 debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, produced hits including “In da Club” and “21 Questions” and earned multi-platinum success. He later released albums including The Massacre (2005), Curtis (2007), Before I Self Destruct (2009) and Animal Ambition (2014) while expanding into acting and producing.

Over the years, the rapper expanded his profile into both acting and producing, appearing in projects including Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2005), The Prince (2014) and Southpaw (2015). He also produced the hit Starz series Power and its spinoffs through his company, G-Unit Film & Television.

50 Cent shares son Marquise (born in 1997) with ex Shaniqua Tompkins and son Sire Jackson (born in 2012) with model Daphne Joy. He has also been linked to Vivica A. Fox, Ciara and Chelsea Handler.