50 Cent

Curtis James Jackson, known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, producer, and entrepreneur. He began his musical career in 2000 with the album *Power of the Dollar*, produced for Columbia Records, but the album was never released after he was shot days before its planned debut. In 2002, after releasing the compilation album *Guess Who's Back?*, Jackson was discovered by Eminem and signed to Shady Records, which was under Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. With support from 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 gained prominence as the de facto leader of the East Coast hip hop group G-Unit. In 2003, he founded G-Unit Records, signing his G-Unit associates Young Buck, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo. Jackson achieved further commercial and critical success with his second album, *The Massacre*, released in 2005. He released his fifth studio album, *Animal Ambition*, in 2014, and as of 2019, was working on his sixth studio album, *Street King Immortal*. 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 also 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).