Gunit
His lockjaw delivery makes him look as gangsta as Marlon "the
Godfather" Brando, but 50 Cent is no actor, folks. In fact, his
unique articulation has to do with a hole in his jaw, the result
of having taken a bullet in the face (along with eight other
shots taken to the rest of his body). He managed to defeat the
odds by leaving the street hustle behind before it was too late,
transforming his life of crime into a profession in rhyme.
Whether rapping about the streets, the clubs, or even certain
candy shops, 50 has quickly emerged as one of hip-hop's most
dominant and talked about superstars to date.
Born Curtis Jackson, the New York native was raised in a
drug-infested area of South Jamaica, Queens, and so, naturally,
he was introduced to the negative side of the ghetto at an early
age. 50 never knew his father, and his mother was a crack
cocaine dealer and addict who was murdered in her own home by an
unknown assailant at the age of 23. Only 8 years old at the
time, 50 moved in with his grandparents, where he eventually
followed in the footsteps of his mother by the age of 12. In
tenth grade, he was arrested and given juvenile probation for
possession of narcotics. 50 dropped out of school shortly
thereafter. He continued his hustle, but the law caught up with
him again, this time twice in a matter of three weeks. Perhaps
these arrests put things in perspective for young 50, because
soon after, he began to show an interest in writing rhymes with
a few of his buddies. One of his crew introduced him to the late
Jam Master Jay of Run-D.M.C., who showed 50 the ropes and
produced a few unreleased tracks for him.
Never losing focus, 50 moved on and recorded another album,
Power of the Dollar, this time with Columbia Records. But two
months before he was set to debut in 2000, he suffered those
infamous nine point-blank gunshot wounds and was dropped from
his label as a result. This turned out to be a blessing in
disguise, however. Although the Power of the Dollar album was
shelved, its catchiest single, "How to Rob," was featured in
countless mix tapes circulating across the East Coast. And they
inevitably made it to the West Coast and onto the Internet. The
song became a turning point in 50's career. In it, he paints
portraits of how he'd stick up random celebrities, from Mariah
Carey to members of the Wu-Tang Clan to even Jay-Z. The single
sparked not only controversy within the industry but also
extreme popular demand from hip-hop fans.
His budding popularity, legendary invulnerability to bullets,
and expertise in verbal assaults earned him the right to sign
with Eminem and Dr. Dre in 2003. In doing so, he's sold more
albums in two years (Get Rich or Die Tryin' and The Massacre)
than most artists in any music genre can dream of selling in
their entire careers. GameSpot recently filmed exclusive
interviews with 50 Cent, the G-Unit, and the producer of the
upcoming video game 50 Cent: Bulletproof. Watch the videos in
this special feature for the latest on the world's premier
rapper and his new video game. Sign me up to receive email
updates on the latest news, contests and videos for 50 Cent and
other Interscope Records artists.
http://gunt-clothing-store.com