biography of 50 cent

Who Is 50 Cent?

Curtis Jackson, known as 50 Cent, is a hip hop artist and businessman who became famous for his streetwise raps and rags-to-riches life story. After an early life of crime, drugs and violence, he turned to rap, rocketing to stardom with the album Get Rich or Die Tryin' in 2003. One of the leading figures in early 21st-century "gangsta" rap, with side projects including the hip hop group G-Unit, investments in soda water companies and video games, 50 Cent has since branched out to become an actor and businessman. His career has been littered with feuds with other rappers, arrests and legal and financial difficulties, while his recent recording output has been sporadic.

50 Cent was born Curtis James Jackson III on July 6, 1975, in the borough of Queens in New York City. He was raised by a single mother in the neighborhood of Jamaica. His mom worked as a drug dealer and died in an unexplained fire when Jackson was only eight years old; after her death, he was raised by his grandmother.

Jackson had boyhood aspirations to be a boxer, and fought at the junior level, but began selling drugs when he was 12. At the age of 19, an undercover police officer arrested Jackson for selling four vials of cocaine and when his home was raided three weeks later, police found crack and heroin. Sentenced to three-to-nine years, he instead went to a boot camp and got his GED. At this time, he was already rapping and took on the name 50 Cent, which was the original moniker of a Brooklyn crook from the 1980s.

Hip Hop Beginnings

In 2000, Jackson was the victim of a severe shooting incident that left him with multiple injuries. He returned to music after his recovery and made several low-budget recordings with his friends Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo, as a crew called G-Unit. Their efforts came to the attention of Eminem and Dr. Dre , who heard 50 Cent's "Guess Who’s Back?" mixtape in 2002, and signed him jointly to their labels, Shady Records and Aftermath Entertainment.

'Get Rich or Die Tryin''

50 Cent's debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin' , was produced by Eminem and Dre. It was a massive commercial success that eventually sold 9 million units. Its gritty singles, including "Wanksta" and "In Da Club," were underpinned by strong hooks that helped turn them into crossover pop hits. His personal appearance – muscled and tattooed, wearing a bulletproof vest and toting a handgun – was also a strong factor in his appeal, as was the fact that his lyrics were based on real-life experiences, in a game where most rappers' boasts are idle. “His rhymes are average, but his lisp, his exaggerated delivery and the beats backing him push this collection over the edge,” raved the Los Angeles Times .

'The Massacre' and Other Releases

Get Rich or Die Tryin' was followed in 2005 by another hit album, The Massacre , on which Jackson continued to rap about drugs, crime and sex on tracks like "Candy Shop" and "Just a Lil Bit." He started his own label under the Interscope umbrella, signing Lloyd Banks and Young Buck, and incorporating them into the G-Unit group on the 2004 album Beg for Mercy , which sold more than 5 million copies worldwide.

Subsequent 50 Cent releases, including Curtis in 2007 and Before I Self-Destruct in 2009, achieved only modest sales. But by then 50 Cent's personal history as a reformed criminal and a survivor of drugs, violence and poverty, had secured his position as an influential figure in hip hop culture.

Jackson maintained a presence in the industry with the release of the album Animal Ambition in 2014, although reviews weren’t particularly warm and it sold just over 100,000 copies – a far cry from his glory days. Ongoing feuds with Ja Rule, Rick Ross and The Game also took his eyes off the prize.

Business Interests and Children

Following in the footsteps of hip hop moguls such as Dre and Jay Z, Jackson successfully expanded his brand into other markets. He promoted and invested in Vitaminwater, a partnership that reportedly netted him $100 million when the company was sold to Coca-Cola in 2007, and also founded the successful headphones line SMS Audio.

Jackson has two sons, Marquise and Sire, with two different mothers.

'Power' and Other Screen Roles

Jackson has also enjoyed success with his forays into film and television. Since 2014, he has served as an executive producer and supporting player in the crime drama Power. Jackson also landed a prominent role alongside Sylvester Stallone in 2013's Escape Plan (and its two sequels) and appeared in the films Spy (2015), Southpaw (2015) and Den of Thieves (2018).

Filing for Bankruptcy to Starting Over Again

Jackson's legal and financial problems began to mount when he was sued by Lastonia Leviston, a girlfriend of Ross, for releasing a sex tape online without her permission. A jury found Jackson liable for $7 million in damages in July 2015. That and another case relating to the headphone company Sleek Audio prompted the rapper-businessman to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

In 2016, Jackson was ordered by the Bankruptcy Court to pay his creditors $23 million over five years, but he paid it off after only months, helped by a settlement in his favor from a legal malpractice case. That same year, he also finally sold his lavish Connecticut mansion in Farmington that had been on the market for years for a modest price of $8 million. He had originally purchased the home from Mike Tyson in 2003.

QUICK FACTS

• Name: Curtis James
• Birth Year: 1975
• Birth date: July 6, 1975
• Birth State: New York
• Birth City: New York
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Curtis Jackson, known as 50 Cent, is a hip hop artist and business mogul who soared to fame with his 2003 debut album 'Get Rich or Die Tryin.''
• Astrological Sign: Cancer
• Interesting Facts
• Hip hop superstar 50 Cent credits his unique style of speaking and rapping to a shooting injury from 2000 that permanently damaged his jaw and tongue.

We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: 50 Cent Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/musicians/50-cent
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: March 26, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 3, 2014
• I come from the bottom and I have risen up and I have changed but I have never forgotten.

Famous Musicians

The Life and Hip-Hop Legacy of DJ Mister Cee

Jon Bon Jovi

How to Score Tickets to Pitbull's Tour

Mick Jagger

Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn’s Private Relationship

Taylor Swift

How Dickey Betts Wrote “Ramblin’ Man“

How Did Bob Marley Die?

No Doubt Surprises Fans With Olivia Rodrigo

• World Biography

50 Cent Biography

July 6, 1976 • Queens, New York

Rap musician

The rapper known as 50 Cent is living proof that hip-hop is as much a lifestyle as it is a type of music. He was a star in the underground mix-tape circuit for several years, but the rest of the world did not hear about him until 2002, when his first single, "Wanksta," appeared on the soundtrack of the film 8 Mile. In 2003, 50 Cent's debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin', topped the charts and broke sales records. As a result, the young rapper was constantly in the press, and his life became an open book. This was not a "studio gangsta," meaning a musician who makes up stories about drugs, violence, and murder in order to sell records; 50 Cent was the real deal. He grew up on the streets of New York, survived being shot at nine times, and used those experiences to fuel his songs. As a result, critics noted that his music had a gritty edge, and they predicted that 50 Cent would be the next hip-hop heavyweight.

Life of a drug dealer

Born Curtis Jackson, 50 Cent grew up in South Jamaica, a neighborhood of Queens, which is a borough of New York City. It is a tough neighborhood, plagued by gang violence; it is also the birthplace of many rappers, including LL Cool J (1968–) and the female trio Salt N' Pepa. Fifty Cent was surrounded by violence from the day he was born. His mother, Sabrina Jackson, was only fifteen years old when he was born on July 6, 1976. She turned to dealing drugs in order to support her son, and eventually became one of the most feared drug dealers in Queens. Sabrina was killed mysteriously when her son was eight, perhaps the result of a drug war.

Fifty Cent was raised by his grandmother, whom he adored. However, because she had nine other children in her charge, the boy spent a good deal of time on the streets. By the time he was twelve, he was dealing crack, a strong form of cocaine that is smoked. As 50 Cent explained to Allison Samuels of Newsweek, he had to fend for himself because he did not want to burden his grandmother: "I didn't want to ask her for a pair of Air Jordans when I knew she couldn't afford them, so I began working to get my stuff and not stress her out."

"The bottom line is, the obstacles that you overcome are going to determine how great you are."

At age fifteen, 50 Cent bought his first gun, and by nineteen years old he was the neighborhood drug kingpin, bringing in about $150,000 a month. He had dropped out of high school and was spending most of his time in jail; 50 Cent was also listening to his favorite musicians, including KRS-1, Rakim, and Run-DMC, and trying his hand at writing his own rhymes. He dreamed about breaking into the music business but was not sure he should give it a try. When his son, Marquise, was born, 50 Cent knew it was time to make a change: he decided to stop dealing drugs and start making music.

Eminem: Unlikely Hip-Hop Hero

Eminem is one of the biggest superstars in the music business, but he is also one of the most controversial. His lyrics are full of profanity; his CDs are boycotted by women's organizations and gay and lesbian groups; and he makes news headlines because of his public rampages against his mother, his ex-wife, other musicians, and fans. On the other hand, Eminem, a white rapper from Detroit, Michigan, has an enormous number of steadfast followers. He also has been credited with infusing new life into a genre that some considered to be growing old and stale.

Eminem was born Marshall Mathers III in Kansas City, Missouri, on October 17, 1972. When he was young, he and his mother, Debbie Mathers-Briggs, divided their time between Missouri and Detroit, Michigan. When he was twelve, the family finally put down roots in the east side of Detroit. Because they were constantly moving, Mathers found it difficult to make friends, so he turned to television and comic books. He also started tuning in to rap music, and soon he was writing rhymes like his favorite musicians, LL Cool J and 2 Live Crew. By high school, Mathers was skipping most of his classes, and focusing his energies on his music. He failed the ninth grade, and ended up dropping out of Osbourne High School.

Mathers paid his dues over the next few years, releasing independent CDs until he was noticed by veteran rapper Dr. Dre. With Dr. Dre's help, the world was introduced to Marshall Mathers, also known as Eminem, also known as Slim Shady, the title of his 1998 debut CD. His songs were harsh, filled with references to rape, violence, and drug use. In particular, Mathers lashed out at his ex-wife, Kim, and his mother, whom he blamed for his hard childhood. Critics loved him or hated him, parents protested, but millions of people bought his music and attended his concerts.

The Slim Shady CD was followed by The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) and The Eminem Show (2002). Both sold millions of copies and earned several Grammy Awards. In 2003 The Eminem Show won the Grammy for Best Rap Album. That same year Mathers took home an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Lose Yourself," which appeared on the soundtrack of the movie 8 Mile (2002). Mathers also starred in the film, playing Jimmy Smith, a would-be rapper who battles the streets of Detroit. Smith was a character that Eminem knew well since he moved from those same streets to become one of the most unlikely hip-hop heroes in music history.

Learns from the master

In 1996 a friend of 50 Cent's introduced him to one of his boyhood idols, Jam Master Jay (1965–2002), a member of the pioneer rap group Run-DMC. Jay was from the same neighborhood, and he saw a spark in the fledgling rapper. Soon, 50 Cent was studying with the seasoned musician. "He was really patient with me," 50 Cent told Josh Tyrangiel of Time. "I would come in with rhymes, almost free verse, and he explained that they had to fit 16 bars of music. Once he said it, I got it." In 1997 Jam Master Jay signed a production deal with 50 Cent and agreed to promote him. The songs 50 Cent produced were raw, and his lyrics were taken from his own life on the streets. As Evan Serpick of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "they reverberated with authenticity."

Fifty Cent quickly became a hit in the underground world of hip-hop. This means he was recording and releasing discs independent of any major record company. As a result, the big record labels started to take notice of the "street thug"-turned rapper. In 1999 Columbia Records signed a deal with 50 Cent and gave him a reported $65,000 advance. Jam Master Jay received $50,000, and lawyers took the rest, so, even though he was a bona fide musician with a record deal, 50 Cent had no money. He kept his "day job," which meant that he continued to sell drugs to make ends meet.

Once they had 50 Cent under contract, Columbia was not sure what to do with him. Tired of waiting to release his first legitimate CD, 50 Cent cut his own single called "How to Rob." The song was an attempt to get noticed by his label. As 50 Cent told Serpick, "I needed them to stop and look at me." "How to Rob" did get Columbia's attention, and everyone else's attention in the music world since it was filled with 50 Cent's plan to "rip off" every hip-hop star around. In his lyrics, 50 Cent warned, "I'll rob Boyz II Men like I'm Michael Bivens/Catch Tyson for half that cash, like Robin Givens." Columbia put 50 Cent's song on the soundtrack to the movie In Too Deep (1999), but did little else with their artist.

In May of 2000, 50 Cent's street life caught up with him. While sitting in a friend's car in front of his grandmother's house, another car pulled up, and the driver fired round after round into 50 Cent's body. All told, he was hit nine times, including a bullet to his hip, which shattered the bone, and a bullet to his head. Although 50 Cent survived, the close call was too much for Columbia Records, and the company dropped him from its label. Ever optimistic, the rapper returned to the mixed-tape circuit.

A fan in Slim Shady

In 2002, 50 Cent wrote "Wanksta," the song that would be his ticket to the big time. "Wanksta" was a bouncy party tune, but it was also a direct jab at 50 Cent's archenemy, rapper Ja Rule (1976–). The feud between the two musicians began in 1999, when Ja Rule was robbed and then accused 50 Cent of being involved in the incident. In the song, 50 Cent claims that his rival is merely a gangster wanna-be: "You say you a gangsta, but you never copped nothing'/You say you a wanksta and you need to stop frontin'."

Fifty Cent delivered "Wanksta," along with a few of his other songs, to Paul Rosenberg, manager of the hottest rapper of the moment, Eminem (1972–). Eminem immediately called 50 Cent and asked him to come to Los Angeles. In June of 2002, 50 Cent signed on the dotted line for a reported $1 million, and was the first rapper to be promoted by Shady/Aftermath Records, Eminem's personal record label. According to Serpick, it was a "match made in hip-hop heaven."

Unlike Columbia Records, Shady/Aftermath immediately put 50 Cent to work. Later in 2002, three of 50 Cent's songs, including "Wanksta," appeared on the soundtrack to 8 Mile, a movie loosely based on the life of Eminem. "Wanksta" received a lot of radio air-play, and listeners lined up to buy a CD by the new rapper. As a result, 50 Cent and Eminem went into the studio to work on 50 Cent's debut disc. Eminem produced several of the songs; other tracks were produced by hip-hop legend Dr. Dre (1965–). The CD, titled Get Rich or Die Tryin' , was released in February of 2003, and it immediately broke records. Just days after it debuted, it sold almost one million copies and made it to number-one on the Billboard charts.

Get Rich or Die Tryin'

Get Rich or Die Tryin' sounded like an anthem for 50 Cent's life. He took shots at other rappers in such songs as "U Not Like Me," where his target is Sean "P. Diddy" Combs (1971–), and he included dance cuts, like "In Da Club," which became an immediate hit single. However, as David Browne of Entertainment Weekly explained, 50 Cent spent most of Get Rich or Die Tryin' "riffing on his crime-ridden past."

By the end of 2003, Get Rich or Die Tryin' had sold more than 6.4 million copies, which made it the best-selling CD of the year. It was also recognized as the biggest number-one debut by a new artist on a major record label. Fifty Cent was nominated for five Grammy Awards (one of the highest achievements in the music industry) and won five World Music Awards. The secret to the CD's success, according to reviewer Ted Kessler, was that behind the clubby dance tunes there was a "cold-blooded seriousness to [50 Cent's] stories ... that set him apart." Critics also praised 50 Cent's gritty vocals and commented that his choir-boy smile and his tattooed, well-toned physique probably helped to boost sales, as well.

Member of Da Club

Following the triumph of Get Rich or Die Tryin', 50 Cent became a full-fledged member of the hip-hop club, and started to live the Hollywood lifestyle that goes with it. In October of 2003 the boy from South Jamaica purchased the house of ex-boxing champion Mike Tyson (1966–) for $4.1 million. In addition, since his "bad boy" days were not yet behind him, 50 Cent also purchased a fleet of SUVs, all of which were bulletproof. As he explained to Ebony, "No matter how successful you are, you've ... gotta take precautions." As added protection, 50 Cent wears a bullet proof vest every day, and insists that his son also wear one. Fifty Cent's fears are not unfounded. In 2002 his longtime friend and mentor Jam Master Jay was shot and killed in his recording studio in Queens, New York.

Fifty Cent does not seem to want to shake his gangster image, but he does intend to channel it into his music and into other projects: "50 Cent is a metaphor for change," 50 Cent explained to Zondra Hughes. In late 2003, 50 Cent and his group G-Unit, short for Guerilla Unit, released their first CD, called Beg for Mercy. At the same time, the rapper announced plans to write his autobiography. He was also considering some movie offers. As for the future, 50 Cent was realistic, but hopeful. As he told Serpick, "Trouble seems to find me, so I'm kinda anticipating not everything being beautiful, or going my way. But it feels like it is right now. So far, so good."

For More Information

Periodicals.

Browne, David. "Money Talks: It Ain't Nothing But a G Thing for Rapper 50 Cent, Who's Looking to Get Rich or Die Tryin' with the Help of Eminem." Entertainment Weekly (February 21, 2003): p. 148.

Brunner, Rob. "Cash of the Titans." Entertainment Weekly (May 30, 2003): pp. 26–29.

Drumming, Neil. "4 50 Cent: Rapper's Delight." Entertainment Weekly (December 26, 2003): p. 24.

Hughes, Zondra. "The 9 Lives of 50 Cent: Rap Star Survives Shootings, Stabbing and Death Threats." Ebony (August 2003): pp. 52–53.

Kessler, Ted. "Shady Business." New Statesman (March 31, 2003): p. 43.

Serpick, Evan. "The 50 Cents Piece." Entertainment Weekly (February 28, 2003): p. 42–44.

Tyrangiel, Josh. "Rap's Newest Target." Time (February 17, 2003): p. 68.

"Eminem Biography." Shady Soldiers Web site. http://www.shadysoldiers.com/info/biography.htm (accessed on June 27, 2004).

50 Cent Direct. http://50centdirect.com (accessed on June 27, 2004).

User Contributions:

Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic:.

Eminem & 50 Cent fan site

Eminem50Cent.com © 2024

50 Cent - Biography

Comments on 50 Cent - Biography

• Music Artist

IMDbPro Starmeter See rank

• Contact info
• 15 wins & 61 nominations total

• Marcus (as Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson)

• 2014–2020 • 44 eps

• Hush (as Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson)

• Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson (as Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson)
• Chief Carter
• Post-production
• Pre-production

• Easy Day (as Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson)

• 50 Cent (voice)

• Kanan (as Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson)

• Cassius Dawkins (as Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson)

• 44 episodes

• Hush (as Curtis Jackson)

• executive producer
• executive producer (2016)
• In Development

• executive producer (as Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson)
• 20 episodes
• 11 episodes

• 10 episodes
• 23 episodes
• 58 episodes

• 16 episodes

• producer (as Curtis Jackson)
• In-development projects at IMDbPro

Personal details

• Apple Music
• 6′ (1.83 m)
• July 6 , 1975
• Queens, New York City, New York, USA
• Other works Single: "In Da Club".
• 4 Print Biographies
• 10 Interviews
• 18 Articles
• 3 Pictorials
• 7 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

• Trivia His mother was killed at age 23, when he was just eight years old.
• Quotes The only thing that I'm scared of is not livin' up to the expectations of Dr. Dre and Eminem .
• How old is 50 Cent?
• When was 50 Cent born?
• Where was 50 Cent born?

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Add demo reel with IMDbPro

How much have you seen?

Recently viewed

50 Cent: The Life of a Hunted Man

It’s well past 4 a.m. and 50 Cent ‘s six bodyguards are out in the hallway of the hotel, lazily leaning against the wall or completely asleep. 50 is inside his room, still pulsing with energy. Three hours ago, he finished the biggest show of his career yet, a sold-out date for a crowd of 15,000 at Long Island’s Nassau Coliseum. When 50 left the venue, he was surrounded by a ring of bodyguards until he climbed into a bulletproof GMC Suburban. A convoy of nine trucks followed him three minutes down the road to this hotel. Now, as his crew prowls for groupies, 50 is keeping a roomful of friends in stitches, telling stories about his past with the same mix of he-didn’t-just-say-that humor and gruesome detail that has made him the most exciting new MC and the coolest new villain in hip-hop since the emergence of Eminem. $ Tonight he’ll hold court for three or four hours straight until it’s time to leave for a tour date in Baltimore. There’s a thin wife-beater covering his chiseled torso and a Yankees hat balanced at an angle atop the white do-rag on his head. His navy-blue bulletproof vest is there on the floor. On records, 50 projects a scary crack dealer, but among friends, the screw face drops. He’s animated, a street-corner shit-talker who knows where all the bodies are buried and knows no one can make him shut up. When he gets around to talking about his six-year-old son, Marquise, who appears in the ”Wanksta” video, his son’s mother pulls his picture out of her wallet. She calls him a hip-hop baby. ”One time he was watching TV with another little kid,” 50 says, ”and a person got shot and died. He said to the other kid, ‘That’s weak. My daddy got shot a lot of times. He didn’t die.”’ Everyone laughs. ”I had to tell him that was a special situation,” he says. ”You’re not supposed to get hit that many times and get away!”

Violence has been a constant in the life of twenty-six-year-old 50 Cent — government name Curtis Jackson, nickname Boo-Boo. His mother, a drug dealer, was killed when he was eight. At twelve, he became a dealer, and was nearly shot to death at twenty-four. His first hip-hop mentor, Jam Master Jay, was killed execution-style last year. Just four days before this very evening, an empty SUV owned by Busta Rhymes was hit with six bullets while parked in front of 50 Cent’s manager’s office. And right now, there are people who want 50 dead.

Editor’s picks

Every awful thing trump has promised to do in a second term, the 250 greatest guitarists of all time, the 500 greatest albums of all time, the 50 worst decisions in movie history.

Some have suggested that it’s other rappers who are trying to kill him, but 50 says hatred from his old competitors in crack dealing has multiplied because of his fame. “This ain’t no rap war,” he says. “This have nothin’ to do with no rappers. The gangsters don’t like that I do whatever the fuck I wanna do. I’m movin around, I’m all over the country, I’m makin’ money, I’m a motherfuckin’ star. That bothers a nigga. The people that dislike me have nothin’ to lose. I’m from the bottom. They’re uneasy about still bein’ on the bottom.”

50 gets through his days in bulletproof trucks, walking with four to six bodyguards just inches away, ushering him briskly through streets and doors, but his body language and demeanor show him unmoved by the threats on his life. He never refuses to stop for an autograph or a photo request, even when it exposes him to danger. Is he worried about his grandparents, who still live in Queens, New York, in the house where he grew up? He says his reputation is enough to protect them. “They [his would-be killers] know how I am. Anything go on around there, they need to move everything they love. They mammy, they pappy, they kids, all that shit. That’d start some real nasty shit. And they don’t wanna go through that.” He seems confident he won’t be killed, unperturbed by being hunted. “It don’t matter to me,” he says. “That shit is not important when you got finances. Do I look uneasy to you?”

He does not. In this hotel room, he’s boisterous, arrogant, secure in his own skin and having fun. The man from the gutter in Queens who nearly ended up in prison or dead is the biggest new star of the year. His gory, brilliant major-label debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, sold 2.1 million copies in its first three weeks. Nearly all hip-hop fans know the broad outline of 50’s life story: the ghetto-celeb crack dealer who escaped the drug game by thrusting himself into hip-hop, only to have his enemies follow him into his new life. One day in 2000, just months away from the release of his first album, he was shot nine times. His album was shelved, but 50 became a street legend on the strength of underground mix-tape hits (which are now collected on Guess Who’s Back?). Last year, Eminem and Dr. Dre signed him to a joint label deal, and Em featured 50’s Ja Rule dis, “Wanksta,” on the soundtrack to 8 Mile. Dr. Dre produced Get Rich’s first single, “In Da Club,” and 50 went platinum in just over a week. “As soon as he walked in the studio, he picked up a pen, and we were done in an hour,” says Dre. “We just made some shit we wanted to hear.”

Related Stories

The number one song in the country is a diss track. is that a good thing, tee grizzley, future drop ferocious new single ‘swear to god’.

Part of 50’s success is his unique voice, with a slur that’s the result of the hole in his jaw from a bullet to the face. But a bigger part is his credibility. When he talks about drugs and guns and death, you know he’s speaking from experience. “If he says he’s gonna pop you, you think he might,” says Eminem. “Kids wanna see a guy that got shot that many times and lived. There’s a whole mystique about him, but at the same time, the same kids that are goin’ to the shows are a little bit intimidated by him. Maybe not all, but most. He’s definitely out there. And that’s me sayin’ that.”

“I think kids like me like the fuckin’ bad guy in a film,” 50 says. “People love the bad guy. I watch movies all the time and root for the bad guy and turn it off before it ends because the bad guy dies. It’s cinematic law: The bad guy has to die. But sometimes the bad guy gets a record deal and becomes a superstar like 50.”

CURTIS JACKSON WAS BORN JULY 6TH, 1976, on the south side of Jamaica, Queens, a rugged, drug-infested strip. Nearby residents describe it as the main arena for all the up-and-coming crack dealers. “That was their playground,” says one. “That’s where they got their stripes. A lot of niggas dumped bodies on that side of town.” Young Curtis never knew his father, and doesn’t want to now. “Let’s give him a warning in this article,” he says. “Don’t you even dare crawl your ass out this way. I don’t wanna know the nigga.” 50’s mother, Sabrina Jackson, was only fifteen years old when he was born and wasn’t around very long. She dealt cocaine. “My moms was hard,” 50 says. “She’s real worse than me. She wasn’t really feminine like that. My moms was tough-tough, like man-tough.”

Curtis spent most of his time with his grandparents, because his mom was out working. “She used to substitute finances for time,” 50 remembers. “Every time I seen her, it was somethin’ new for me. Christmas every day. She put jewelry on me early.”

When Curtis was eight, someone went home with Sabrina, put something in her drink that left her unconscious, closed the windows, turned on the gas and left her for dead. She was found a few days later. “Had to be something to do with the drugs,” 50 says. “Her body was all fucked up.” She was twenty-three.

He moved in permanently with his grandparents. They tried to steer him away from the street, but he was Sabrina’s boy and thus able to hang out with the older guys in the neighborhood. When he was twelve, those guys gave him some cocaine to sell. “They knew nobody was there for me, so they gave me a little three-and-a-half grams and said, ‘Here, start hustling,’” he says. “The other kids my age wouldn’t even know what to do if you gave ’em a scale and bakin’ soda and a pot to cook [crack] up.” Of course, at twelve he could hustle only between three and six in the afternoon, when his grandmother thought he was in an after-school program. “I did things in the street, then I was able to adjust and leave that at my doorstep. Once I get in the house, I’m my grandmother’s baby. But once I’m outside, I do whatever I gotta do to get by.” He can still flip that switch between tough and sweet whenever he likes, moving in a heartbeat from the charm of a soft-spoken choirboy to a teeth-clenched icy grill that would make you throw your wallet at him in fear. He’s clear about when and where to employ each one. “I know I gotta be able to separate in order to progress,” he says.

In tenth grade at Andrew Jackson High School, 50 was arrested for possession of crack and given juvenile probation. He transferred to another school, but it didn’t matter. “I was fashion show in high school. After the first time I got in trouble, I’d pop in when I had something nice to wear and shit.” He dropped out after tenth grade. (He got his GED in jail a few years later.) By this time, he was a budding boxer and a rising street icon, a ghetto celeb feared throughout Queens, in control of a crack house and the main drug-selling strip around the way. At eighteen, 50 was making $5,000 a day selling crack and heroin. He bought himself a white Land Cruiser and a white Mercedes-Benz 400 SE. “He’s always been known for doing something crazy and wild,” says Sha Money XL, a longtime friend and president of 50’s indie label, G-Unit Records. “People around Queens be like, ‘I know Boo, he was crazy in school. He used to come to school with mad money and guns.’”

50 used a lot of intimidation and strategy to maintain his hold on the strip. During one of his prison stints, he met some thieves from Brooklyn. Back on the strip, he employed them to rob rival Queens hustlers. He’d let the stickup kids keep whatever cash and jewelry they got as long as they gave him all the drugs. Then he gave the stolen drugs to his customers when they bought his crack, as a buy-one-get-one-free deal. This forced his competitors to carry guns, which meant they had to scatter when the cops came. “So they had to come and leave, come and leave,” he says. “Consistency is the key to all success. If you can consistently sell crack without the cops comin’, you gonna be successful. If you consistently put out quality material in your mix tape, it’ll build anticipation for your album.”

50’s not proud of having sold drugs, but he feels no guilt about it, either. “Guilt?” he asks, a little annoyed. “Hell, no. Guilt for how? Try tellin’ a kid that’s twelve years old, ‘If you do good in school for eight more years, you can have a car.’ And let a kid’s curiosity lead him through his neighborhood and find somebody who got it in six months on that strip. It don’t seem like one of the options, it seem like the only option. I provide for myself by any means. I don’t care about how anybody feels about it. ‘Cause when I’m doin’ it, I really don’t have intentions to hurt nobody. I don’t expect everybody to understand. But there’s people that’s from where I’m from that understand.”

In the summer of 1994, 50 was arrested twice in three weeks and knew he was headed for death or prison. “It was comin’,” he says. “Long as you stay there, you don’t beat the odds.”

For years he’d been going to friends’ basements and rhyming to instrumentals for fun. Now he thought it was time to get away from the drug world and try hip-hop. He knew nothing about constructing songs, but he told himself he would succeed. “Once I focus on something, it gotta work for me,” he says. “I won’t turn off from it. I convince myself it’s gonna work and then no one can convince me that it’s not.”

In 1996, a friend introduced him to Jam Master Jay, who was then organizing his label, JMJ Records. Jay taught 50 how to structure a song. “Jay knew 50 was the shit,” Sha Money says. “He was treating 50 like a big-budget artist.” Jay produced 50’s first album, but it was never released.

In 1999, 50 moved on to Columbia Records, where he recorded another album, Power of a Dollar, which included the underground classic “How to Rob,” in which he describes mugging a slew of rap and R&B stars and lays out who 50 Cent is: the fearless and funny thug who’s just a minute off the street. The song exploded on the hip-hop underground and on the radio. 50 had always admired how KRS-One had roared into hip-hop behind a dis record (“South Bronx”). Now he’d done the same.

One night in a club, 50 said “What’s up?” to a man he knew who happened to have stolen a chain from Ja Rule. Ja saw 50 talking to the man and felt disrespected. Thus began a feud. “Wanksta” and a slew of records dissing Ja and Murder Inc. head Irv Gotti followed. Things got physical one day in Atlanta. Ja and 50 were staying in the same hotel, and when 50 saw Ja, he pulled him aside to talk. “He was lookin’ real stupid,” 50 says. “He had one of them little bats they give you at the baseball games for your kids. He had the li’l-tough look on his face.” Their talk didn’t last long. “I let him go on for about a minute or two, and then I just punched him in his eye. I heard enough of that shit.”

50 says anger is his most familiar emotion. “Somethin’ happen that another person might start crying about, I get mad. Some people know how to express themselves emotionally and cry and do all that other shit. Me, emotionally, I’m, like, thirteen.”

Months after the Atlanta fight, in a scuffle with Ja Rule’s crew at the Manhattan recording studio the Hit Factory, 50 was stabbed, though not seriously. (Charges were dismissed.) But while the Ja Rule beef merely got people talking about 50, he gained respect when Jay-Z responded to being dissed in “How to Rob” by saying, “I’m about a dollar/What the fuck is 50 Cent?” on “It’s Hot (Some Like It Hot),” from Volume 3 … The Life and Times of S. Carter.

“When he responded, I was complimented,” 50 says. “He wouldn’t say nothing back to somebody he didn’t think was hot. I never went to radio until after he said that about me. I don’t know if my career would be where it’s at if he didn’t respond.”

50 was poised to be a star. In a few months, his album was to be released. But there was at least one contract on his life; some say three. “Where I’m from, the price of life is cheap,” he says. “For $5,000, you could kill somebody. You could pick a shooter. You could have a few different choices. Might do it for less than that if they like you.” On May 24th, 2000, death came for a visit, and his life changed forever.

He was at his grandmother’s house, on his way to the tattoo parlor and then to the studio, at about 11:20 in the morning. He got into a friend’s car, then was asked to go back in to get some jewelry. When he returned and slid into the car, another car pulled up. Someone crawled out of the back and came up on 50’s left side with a gun cocked. “Sneaky motherfucker, man,” 50 says. “He did it right. He just didn’t finish. He like Allen Iverson shakin’ a nigga, go to the basket and miss.” The man hit him with nine shots at close range. 50 took bullets in the hand (“shell hit my thumb and came out my pinky”), the hip (“that one hurt-hurt”), the calf and the chest, and one to the face went through his left cheek and into his mouth. “You don’t actually feel each one hit you,” he says. “The adrenaline is pumping. You movin’ and tryin’ to get out of the way. I was bouncing around the back seat. We pulled off. We got a block or so. We had to pull over to get rid of the tote [gun]. Threw it in the sewer, then we got to the hospital. But I was up and still talking the whole time.” A few weeks later, the shooter was murdered. 50 denies responsibility.

He spent thirteen days in the hospital, then staggered out on a walker. Six weeks later, he began walking on his own. Now life was more precious to him. He began working on his body with endless push-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups that turned him from kinda fat to chiseled.

But more important for an MC, there was now a large, squarish hole through the left side of his lower jaw and a piece of bullet left in his tongue. He’d lost a bottom tooth and a U-shaped chunk of his gums, but his lazy tongue and the hole in his jaw gave him a slur like no one in hip-hop. “There’s a different sound now when I talk, ’cause of the air around the tooth,” 50 says. “Gettin’ shot just totally fixed my instrument.”

The story of the shooting of 50 Cent spread throughout hip-hop and made him seem mythical, even unkillable. But as soon as Columbia heard, it dropped him. “I wasn’t sure if the industry was ever gonna embrace me again,” he says. In January 2001, he began spending every day at Sha Money XL’s studio, making songs for the underground mix-CD world. He released five albums of material within months, flooding the market as no MC ever had. “I thought, ‘This dude got shot, got back up and is still poppin’ shit?’rdquo; says Eminem. “He came back stronger than ever. That made me stop.”

Eminem flew 50 out to L.A. for a meeting. “When everyone else was afraid to work with me for reasons outside of music, he looked straight past that,” 50 says.

Donna Summer's Estate Reaches Settlement With Kanye West Over Alleged 'Theft' of 'I Feel Love'

2024 acm awards: the complete winners list, billie eilish releases highly-anticipated third studio album 'hit me hard and soft', the beach boys hold 'family reunion' at 'surfin' safari' spot in clip from band's documentary.

“One of the things that excited me about Tupac,” Eminem says, “was even if he was rhymin’ the simplest words in the world, you felt like he meant it and it came from his heart. That’s the thing with 50. That same aura. That’s been missing since we lost Pac and Biggie. The authenticity, the realness behind it.”

BACK IN THE HOTEL ROOM, IT’S ALMOST morning, and 50’s still telling stories, first about when Foxy Brown came to visit him in the hospital, then about an old friend with such bad luck he got arrested almost every time he left home. It’s almost time to leave, so he slips on his bulletproof vest and begins pulling the Velcro straps tight. He’s richer than ever, but he’s being hunted. “Niggas out there sellin’ drugs is after what I got from rappin’,” he says. “When you walk into a club, and the bouncer stop doin’ whatever the fuck they doin’ to let you in and say, ‘Everybody else wait. He special’ — that’s the same shit they do when you start killin’ niggas in your hood. This is what we been after the whole time. Just the wrong route.”

Everyone turns when Marquise’s mom holds up a tailor-made kiddie-size navy-blue bulletproof vest that her son will wear onstage this summer at his father’s shows. There’s something cute and funny about it, but no one laughs.

This story was originally published in RS 919 from April 3, 2003.

Sean Combs Seen Kicking and Dragging Cassie on Surveillance Video

• "GUT-WRENCHING"
• By Cheyenne Roundtree

BTS' RM Unveils 'Right Place, Wrong Person' Track List Featuring Little Simz

• Staying Put
• By Tomás Mier

Billie Eilish, Saweetie, Omar Apollo, and All the Songs You Need to Know This Week

• By Rolling Stone

Billie Eilish Has a Cravings-Induced Crush in 'Lunch' Video

• Hot and Hungry
• By Larisha Paul

Lupe Fiasco Announces Ninth Album 'Samurai,' His 'Most Personal Album to Date'

• Ready to Serve

Most Popular

'mad max' director says 'there's no excuse' for tom hardy and charlize theron's 'fury road' set feud: tom 'had to be coaxed out of his trailer', john krasinski on getting bradley cooper, george clooney, ryan reynolds to join 'if': "most yeses of my career", melania trump confirms her son barron just made a total 180 once again with his future, dj akademiks says he'll take entire industry down if convicted in rape lawsuit, you might also like, ‘everybody loves touda’ director nabil ayouch on how the film depicts a moroccan female poet and singer as an ‘agent of resistance’, matches founders tom and ruth chapman on its demise and luxury ecommerce 2.0, the best yoga mats for any practice, according to instructors, ‘kinds of kindness’ first reactions: yorgos lanthimos’ latest emma stone collaboration is a ‘dark’ and ‘twisted’ return to form, lead1’s departing ceo tom mcmillen laments college ad divide.

Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.

Verify it's you

Please log in.

Queens rapper who rose from mixtape warrior to Eminem signee to multi-platinum MC.

Read Full Biography

STREAM OR BUY:

Also Known As

Album highlights.

Related Artists

Discography, moods and themes, related articles.

• Manage Account

Chart History

Billboard hot 100™, disco inferno, just a lil bit, latest videos.

Diddy’s Home Raid Updates, Cardi B Clears Up LAPD Claim & More | Billboard News

Kanye working on music video with north west, mel b teases spice girls project & more | billboard news, bts officially on hiatus, nicki minaj’s world tour, ye’s listening party & more | billboard news, taylor swift’s eras tour movie, victoria’s secret world tour, 50 cent concert assault & more | billboard news, billboard’s top 5 songs of 2003 | billboard news, 5sos talk live album, the weeknd teases new music, coachella headliners, & more | billboard news, here are five things you don’t know about 50 cent | billboard cover, inside bebe rexha’s listening party, cardi b defends offset, 50 cent clears the air & more | billboard news, 50 cent gets real about dr.dre, eminem, cardi b, ‘power’ vs. ‘empire’ beef & more | billboard cover, 50 cent opens up about working on ‘8 mile’ tv show with eminem | billboard news, latest news, 50 cent’s final lap tour makes history, becoming only third rap trek ever to cross $100m.

• By Michael Saponara

These 25 Rappers Are the Top-Grossing Hip-Hop Touring Acts of All Time

• By Eric Frankenberg

Young Thug’s Never-Ending Trial, SCOTUS Copyright Ruling, Childish Gambino Case & More Legal News

• By Bill Donahue

50 Cent Mocks Diddy’s Son King Combs Following Diss Track Release: ‘I Feel So Threatened’

• May 13, 2024 1:31 pm

50 Cent Sues Ex Daphne Joy for Defamation Over Rape Allegations: ‘Unequivocally False’

• May 7, 2024 8:59 pm

Mary J. Blige Brings Her Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit to New York City for 2024

• By Gail Mitchell
• May 2, 2024 11:07 am

50 Cent Officially Launches G-Unit Studios in Louisiana

• By Carl Lamarre
• Apr 18, 2024 1:03 pm

50 Cent Fully Supports Kesha Changing ‘Tik Tok’ Lyric to Diss Diddy at Coachella: ‘Like 50 Told Her To Say That!’

• By Gil Kaufman
• Apr 15, 2024 10:56 am

50 Cent, DJ Premier, Chuck D & More React to DJ Mister Cee’s Death

• Apr 10, 2024 7:46 pm

50 Cent Denies Daphne Joy Sexual & Physical Abuse Allegations

• By Rania Aniftos
• Mar 28, 2024 9:04 pm

Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Billboard Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

optional screen reader

Charts expand charts menu.

• Billboard Hot 100™
• Billboard 200™
• Hits Of The World™
• TikTok Billboard Top 50
• Song Breaker
• Year-End Charts
• Decade-End Charts

Music Expand music menu

• R&B/Hip-Hop

Videos Expand videos menu

Culture expand culture menu, media expand media menu, business expand business menu.

• Business News
• Record Labels
• View All Pro

Pro Tools Expand pro-tools menu

• Songwriters & Producers
• Artist Index
• Royalty Calculator
• Market Watch
• Industry Events Calendar

Billboard Español Expand billboard-espanol menu

• Cultura y Entretenimiento

Get Up Anthems by Tres Expand get-up-anthems-by-tres menu

Honda music expand honda-music menu.

• Arts & Photography

Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

Amazon Prime includes:

Fast, FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button.

• Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
• Unlimited Free Two-Day Delivery
• Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with limited ads on Prime Video.
• A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
• Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
• Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access

Important:  Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.

Buy new: .savingPriceOverride { color:#CC0C39!important; font-weight: 300!important; } .reinventMobileHeaderPrice { font-weight: 400; } #apex_offerDisplay_mobile_feature_div .reinventPriceSavingsPercentageMargin, #apex_offerDisplay_mobile_feature_div .reinventPricePriceToPayMargin { margin-right: 4px; } -27% $12.39 $ 12 . 39 FREE delivery Thursday, May 23 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35 Ships from: Amazon.com Sold by: Amazon.com

Return this item for free.

Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges

• Go to your orders and start the return
• Select the return method

Save with Used - Very Good .savingPriceOverride { color:#CC0C39!important; font-weight: 300!important; } .reinventMobileHeaderPrice { font-weight: 400; } #apex_offerDisplay_mobile_feature_div .reinventPriceSavingsPercentageMargin, #apex_offerDisplay_mobile_feature_div .reinventPricePriceToPayMargin { margin-right: 4px; } $6.14 $ 6 . 14 FREE delivery Thursday, May 23 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35 Ships from: Amazon Sold by: Jenson Books Inc

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required .

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Follow the authors

Image Unavailable

• To view this video download Flash Player

From Pieces to Weight: Once Upon a Time in Southside Queens Paperback – Illustrated, August 15, 2006

Purchase options and add-ons.

• Print length 240 pages
• Language English
• Publisher MTV Books
• Publication date August 15, 2006
• Dimensions 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.25 inches
• ISBN-10 9780743488044
• ISBN-13 978-0743488044
• See all details

Frequently bought together

Similar items that may ship from close to you

Editorial Reviews

About the author, product details.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0743488040
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ MTV Books; Reprint edition (August 15, 2006)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780743488044
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0743488044
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.25 inches
• #90 in Rap & Hip-Hop Musician Biographies
• #99 in Rap Music (Books)
• #1,755 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies

About the authors

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.

Customer reviews

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

• Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

Top reviews from other countries

• Amazon Newsletter
• About Amazon
• Accessibility
• Sustainability
• Press Center
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Sell on Amazon
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Supply to Amazon
• Protect & Build Your Brand
• Become an Affiliate
• Become a Delivery Driver
• Start a Package Delivery Business
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Become an Amazon Hub Partner
• › See More Ways to Make Money
• Amazon Visa
• Amazon Store Card
• Amazon Secured Card
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Credit Card Marketplace
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Amazon Prime
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices
• Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices

Hip Hop Scriptures

 50 Cent Digital Biography

It was hard in his early life, but Curtis James Jackson III aka 50 Cent finally made it to become a renowned popular African American hip hop artist the world ever has. Born on July 6, 1975 in South Jamaica, Queens in New York, he grew up in a broken home family, his hustler mother Sabrina Jackson died when he was merely eight years old, while his father left the family, leaving his grandmother to parent him. Lost those closest to him at an early age and encouraged by his desire for things would drive him begun drug dealing at the age of twelve. Eventually encountered the law and began making visits to prison, 50 pursued his dream of becoming a heavyweight boxer, but finally fell back on rapping. 

Took rapping seriously, it was in the mid '90s that the young man stayed away from crime and began making music. His break came soon thereafter upon meeting Jam Master Jay of Run DMC through a friend who instead of only taught him how to count bars, write choruses, and structure songs, passed over a tape of beats and asked him to rap over it. Got the man impressed, he was signed to his label, JMJ Records. Unfortunately, the deal didn't result much which prompted 50 to leave the label and quickly signed another deal with Columbia Records, thanks to the platinum selling producers Trackmasters who took noticed on his rapping skill. Began working on his debut album, he produced thirty-six songs in two and a half weeks, eighteen of which were included on his unofficially released album, "Power of the Dollar [Unreleased]" in 2000. 

A trio of singles preceded the album's proposed release, namely "Your Life's on the Line," "Thug Love" featuring Destiny's Child, and "How to Rob," in fact, contributed to 50's rising to popularity. The latter track, which lyrics detail how he would rob particular big-name rappers, attracted a lot of attention thus making it a hit. Shortly after the release of the single, on May 24, 2000, just before Columbia was set to release "Power of the Dollar [Unreleased]", he encountered a deadly incident on 161st Street in Jamaica, Queens when an assassin attempted to end his life, shooting him nine times with a 9mm pistol while he sat helpless in the passenger seat of a car. Spent thirteen days in recovery, he survived but Columbia Records decided to drop him, blacklisted him in the recording industry after finding out he had been shot, put "Power of the Dollar [Unreleased]" to shelve. 

Hard for him to find a studio to work with in the US during the two following years, 50 Cent headed for Canada. With the help from his business partner Sha Money XL, he made a return to the rap underground, began recording over thirty songs for mixtapes and formed a hip hop group G-Unit, featuring Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, and Tony Yayo, with the intention to set up a solid career in the industry. Together they produced large quantities of tracks, some of which featured the companions rapping over popular beats, while the others mocked popular rappers, and had them compiled on "Guess Who's Back?" in 2002. Much to their surprise, the mixtape garnered industry attention as well as street esteem, particularly popular rapper Eminem who declared on a radio show his admiration for 50 Cent. And amidst a bidding war that followed, Em indeed got him signed to his and Dr. Dre 's Shady/Aftermath label. 

Not only Em and Dre lent their hand to executive produce 50's upcoming album, but also each of them helped producing a few tracks for the set, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'", released on February 6, 2003. Prior to the release of the LP, Em got him debuted on the soundtrack to his film "8 Mile", singing "Wanksta" which became a runaway hit in late 2002, setting the stage for "In da Club," the Dre-produced lead single from "Get Rich". The so-called "most hyped debut album by a rap artist in about a decade" by All Music Guide, satisfyingly sold 872,000 copies in its first week of release, led the LP to be certified gold in its first week, platinum the following week, and was eventually certified six times platinum by the RIAA. In 2003, 50 established his own record label, G-Unit Records, and appointed his manager Sha Money XL as the president. Subsequently, a second effort "The Massacre" was put on the market by March 3, 2005, spawned two major hit singles, namely "Candy Shop" and "Disco Inferno". 

"The Massacre" sold extremely well, 1.15 million copies in its first four days of release, exceeding its predecessor while making it the sixth fastest-selling album since SoundScan began tracking sales data in 1991. Had his music career sky rocketed, 50 gave hand at acting, starred alongside senior actor Terrence Howard in the semi-autobiographical film "Get Rich or Die Tryin'", chronicling his personal life, an inner city drug dealer who turns away from crime to pursue his passion, rap music. Put a gun theme in its advertisement, the flick provoked protest from some community leaders who at the end had the movie posters banned. Amid the controversies, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" made its way to hit the theaters as slated though, on November 5, 2005. Already became a household name, 50 added more film projects into his resume, starring in the 2007 "Home of the Brave", being in the same scene with Samuel L. Jackson and Jessica Biel among others. 

As of 2007, 50 was billed to star in three more films, "The Dance", "Live Bet", and "The Ski Mask Way", all slated for 2008 release with the latter also saw him served as producer for the first time. In the meantime, his music career was still going strong as the third studio album "Curtis" is set to release on September 4, 2007. He was about to name this piece "Before I Self Destruct" because he saw himself doing so but then thought otherwise. He then came up with "Curtis S.S.K." with the abbreviation referring to SoundScan Killa before deciding for the last time to name the album simply "Curtis" He claimed that the moniker "Before I Self Destruct" would be kept for his next project, the fourth album that will be released February 4, 2008. 

As of his personal life, 50 has a son, named Marquise Jackson, with his then girlfriend, Shaniqua Tompkins, who was born in 1997. It was the birth of the infant that brought drastic changes to the star's life, of which he was quoted as saying, "[w]hen my son came into my life, my priorities changed, because I wanted to have the relationship with him, that I didn't have with my father." Greater than that, he also credited his son to become the inspiration of his career, revealed "[m]e being an artist on the music front came from my son actually. He was motivation to go in a different direction." Rose to stardom mostly due to his music works, 50 also became media darling due to his run in with the law and feud with fellow rappers, The Game and Ja Rule, just to name a few. Meanwhile, he was engaged in a creative battle with Kanye West who happened to release his new album 'Graduation' on September 11, 2007, the same date his 'Curtis' will be released. Predicted chart battle occurred with Kanye offering a national debate on TV defending each album. Although the debate was shut down few weeks after the idea came out, 50 took the battle seriously. He stated that if his album sale is below Kanye's, he will quit writing music for himself. 

(source: aceshowbiz.com)

Learn about how hip hop has been commercialized, impacted pop culture, education, & the universe. Take the journey through the 2000s with 50 Cent, T.I., Kanye West & more!!

• Click here - to use the wp menu builder

• Entertainment and Activities
• Events and Shows
• Shopping and Dining
• Famous People
• Pop Culture
• Famous Buildings
• Famous Museums
• Famous Places
• Architecture
• Fashion and Garment Industry
• Interior Design
• Health and Fitness
• Personal Care
• Games and Recreation
• New York Quizzes

History and Biography of 50 Cent

Curtis Jackson, known as 50 Cent, is one of the world’s popular hip hop rappers and business mogul who jumped on the ladder of success with his 2003 debut album ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin.’ He proved that hip hop is as much a lifestyle as it is a genre of music. For several years in the beginning of his musical career, he was a star in the underground mix-tape circuit but wasn’t known to the rest of the world until 2002, when his first single “Wanksta” appeared on the soundtrack of Eminem’s film, 8 mile. He has achieved fame and has a great reputation in the rap scene. If you are new to rap or just discovering other genres and happened to stumbled upon it, then 50 cent is one of the big names. Check out his work and there is a great chance you’ll dig more into the music style.

Early Life 

Curtis Jackson, aka 50 Cent, was born on July 6, 1975, to a drug dealer, Sabrina Jackson, and his father is not known. He grew up in South Jamaica, a neighborhood of Queens (a borough of New York City). It is a neighborhood filled with gangsters and crime. The interesting thing is that it is also the birthplace of many rappers, including the female trio Salt N’ Pepa and LL Cool J.

Sabrina, his mother, was only fifteen years old when she gave birth to Curtis. To support her child, she turned to drug dealing and eventually became one of the most feared drug dealers in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, she was killed by an anonymous person when Curtis was only eight years old – may be the result of a drug war.

Surrounded by violence and crime, 50 Cent was raised by her grandmother, whom he loved very much. However, because her grandma had nine more children to raise, he spent most of his time on streets in the company of bad guys. When Curtis was only twelve years old, he entered deep into the world of drugs and started dealing crack (a harsh form of cocaine that is smoked).

Upon asking the reason why he started doing all that stuff, he answered to Allison Samuels of Newsweek that he wanted to fend for himself without being a burden on his grandmother.

50 Cent was only fifteen when he bought his first gun, and by the time he was nineteen, he was already out of control. He became the neighborhood’s drug kingpin, earning about $150,000 a month. He was dropped out of high school because he was spending most of his time in jail. Jackson has an  infamous 1994 mugshot  when he pled guilty to drug charges in New York. Meanwhile, he also listened to KRS-1, Rakim, and Run-DMC, and tried writing his own rhymes.

He thought of leaving the world of drugs and begin pursuing a career in music, but he wasn’t sure if he should give it a go. When his son, Marquise, was born, Curtis knew that it is time – time to make a change, so his son doesn’t have to live the life of a drug dealer’s son. Hence, he decided to stop doing all the bad stuff and start making music.

Musical Career

50 Cent was determined that he need to get into the music business and leave all the things he used to do in the past. Seeing his determination for music, his friend introduced him to Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC in 1996, who was starting his own music label called “Jam Master Jay Records.” Jay taught him how to write the choirs, count the measures, structure the songs, and make the records.

He officially appeared for the first time in a song “React”, on the album “Shut ‘Em Down” released in 1998. In 1999, after leaving Jam Master Jay, several producers of Trackmasters took notice of the rapper and offered him to sign a contract with Columbia Records. Later, he produced 36 songs in only two weeks in a New York studio. 18 of these 36 songs were also included in his unofficial release album called “The Power of the Dollar”, which was cancelled and never released as he was shot.

He began to become popular after the release of his single “How to Rob”. This was the song that made famous rappers like Jay-Z, Kurupt, Sticky Fingaz, Big Pun, and others take notice of 50 Cent. On the other hand, the rapper Nas invited 50 Cent and asked him to travel on a promotional tour of his album “Nastradamus”.

In spite of having a publishing agreement signed with Columbia Records, he was kicked out from the label and enlisted in the blacklist of the recording industry – because of his song “Ghetto Qu ‘Ran’” (Quran of the Ghetto). Due to being blacklisted, he wasn’t able to find any studio in the USA that let him record a song. So he traveled all the way to Canada along with his manager Sha Money XL, where he recorded more than thirty songs for mixtapes.

After the release of these songs, 50 Cent’s recognition started to increase little by little, and in 2002, he released the compilation album “Guess Who’s Back?”

The rapper Eminem took notice of his album in around 2002, which impressed him so much that he decided to invite him to LA, where he was also introduced to Dr. Dre. Eminem offered 50 Cent to sign a contract with Shady Records and Aftermath Entertainment by Dr. Dre. That contract led him to release a mixtape “No Mercy, No Fear” that included the popular track “Wanksta”, which was also used in the soundtrack of the Eminem’s film, “8 Mile”.

In February of 2003, 50 Cent released his debut album “Get Rich or Die Tryin” that helped him climb the ladder of success. The album was such a hit that Allmusic described it as one of the best debut albums produced by a rap artist in a decade. The album managed to sell more than 872,000 copies in the first four days and secured its number 1 position in the Billboard 200.

The main song of this album “In Da Club” was played the most and managed to reach position number 18 out of 100 best hip songs of all time of VH1. During this time, 50 Cent also broke the Billboard record as the most listened song in radio history in a week.

In March of 2005, he released another hit album “The Massacre” that was able to sell over 1.1 million copies in the first four days of the release. With the release and success of this album, 50 Cent reached number 1 on the Billboard 200 and secured this position for six weeks. He also became the first-ever artist to have his three singles in the top 5 of Billboard in the same week. The singles were “Candy Shop”, “Inferno Disc”, and “How We Do.”

He was sentenced to two years of probation on July 22, 2005, due to an incident that happened in May 2004, on charges of three counts of assault and aggression. This didn’t stop him, and he released his third studio album titled “Curtis” in around September of 2007. After selling more than 691,000 copies in the first week, this third album of 50 Cent, was in the number 2 position of the Billboard 200.

On May 18, 2009, 50 Cent released a song titled “Ok, You’re Right”, produced by Dr. Dre. This song was included as the first official single in the album “Before I Self Destruct”.

On November 16, 2011, 50 Cent released another song “Outlaw” on the internet, produced by Cardiak. On February 20, 2014, he left Interscope Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and Shady Records, after an alliance that lasted about 12 years.

50 Cent and his label G-Unit Records signed a distribution agreement with Caroline Records and a recording contract with Capitol Records to release his fifth studio album titled “Animal Ambition” in 2014.

50 Cent has two sons, Marquise and Sire, with two different mothers.

Business Interests

Following in the footsteps of the Hip Hop stars and moguls Eminem and Dr. Dre, 50 Cent also expanded his brand into other markets to boost his business. He promoted and invested in Vitaminwater, which reportedly netted him $100 million when the company was sold to Coca Cola in the year 2007. He also founded the successful headphones company named SMS Audio in 2011 and acquired Kono Audio the same year.

Other Activities

• 50 Cent signed a 5-year contract with the sports brand Reebok in November 2003, to distribute G-Unit sneakers, which is his personal brand of the line as part of his G-Unit Clothing Company.
• In 2003, he released the video game, including 50 Cent: Bulletproof for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PSP.
• In 2005, 50 Cent made a cameo in the episode “Pranksta Rap” of The Simpsons in which his legal problems were shown.
• In 2005, he starred with Terrence Howard the semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin’.
• 50 Cent published an autobiography titled “From Pieces to Weight: Once Upon a Time in Southside Queens,” in August 2005 that showed the economic and cultural forces that led him to sell crack and cocaine.
• In 2007, he founded the film production company G-Unit Films and Cheetah Vision in 2008.
• In 2007, he launched his G-Unit Books print shop in the Time Warner building.
• In 2009, he published his first book, The 50th Law.
• In 2011, he founded SMS Audio in Delaware and acquired Kono Audio.

Discography

• Power of the Dollar (2000)
• Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2003)
• Beg for Mercy (2003)
• The Massacre (2005)
• Curtis (2007)
• T·O·S (Terminate on Sight) (2008)
• Before I Self Destruct (2009)
• Animal Ambition (2014)
• The Beauty of Independence (2014)
• The Beast Is G-Unit (2015)
• 50 cent biography
• biography of Curtis Jackson
• history of 50 cent
• history of Curtis Jackson
• rapper 50 cent history
• the biography of 50 cent

Recent articles

The future of online casinos: a look through the digital looking glass, 4 ways to style a small bedroom with a california king bed, relevant business news: staying updated in the market world, understanding different types of smoking accessories: a beginner’s guide, how long does it take to get from newark to new york city, is new york city or los angeles bigger, more like this, exploring harlems music legacy, the master builder: assessing robert moses’ impact on nyc urban development, learn more about the amazing singer and entertainer alicia keys, how has nyc’s tin pan alley influenced modern music.

© Copyright - NewYorkSpaces.com

Affiliate Disclosure | Privacy Policy

50 Cent on what fans can expect on his 20th anniversary tour (not upside down crunches)

NEW YORK – "It was the best body of work at that time."

50 Cent is giving " Get Rich or Die Tryin' " a tour encore.

The Grammy-winning artist , 47, announced a 20th-anniversary tour, The Final Lap, to celebrate his debut studio album Friday. Busta Rhymes is joining him for all 90 days and Jeremih is coming along for the North American stops.

50 Cent (real name Curtis Jackson) helped define an era of hip-hop with his 2003 album that included hits "In Da Club," "21 Questions," and "Many Men (Wish Death)." Several of the songs referenced the moment he was shot nine times in 2000 as well as various happenings from street life in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York.

The album also popularized hip-hop artists rapping and singing, laying the foundation for Drake , 6LACK , Monaleo, Doechii, Ty Dolla $ign and more.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Two decades later, 50 Cent jokes the anniversary of "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" means "I'm getting old."

What can you expect for 50 Cent's The Final Lap tour with Busta Rhymes and Jeremih?

If you saw the rapper perform the album in the past, don't expect the same from this tour. "It’s going to be a whole new show," he promises.

"Sometimes out of habit, you go to certain records," 50 Cent says. "People love other things on it, so I want to make sure I touch those records before I don’t do those anymore."

One thing you shouldn't expect from the tour is upside-down crunches, a move he did in the music video for "In Da Club" and recreated during a guest appearance at the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show headlined by Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar .

"I think that was a mistake for the Super Bowl," he says. "Everybody else walked in regular, the songs still went over and they got the trophy, too. They all won an Emmy. They got the same thing I got and I had to put myself upside down."

50 Cent jokingly adds that someone should have intervened, because if he fell, he would've been made fun of for years to come. It was high risk over reward.

In contrast, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" has proved to be all reward. After all, he did get rich.

Here's more from USA TODAY's interview with 50 Cent:

Question:   Did you know the revolutionary impact you'd have rapping and singing on "Get Rich or Die Tryin'"?

Answer: It's not really a revolution. If you're going to make music that is going to be world music, it has to have melodies. English is not their first speaking language in a lot of places that I travel. What (those crowds) follow is the melody until they understand what you're saying. 

Drake is the new, stronger version like that because he can do a whole pop record, sing the whole song. I've never done that. He'll say that I'm one of those influences. ... That’s a big compliment because he's established himself and done great work.

Would you ever collaborate with Drake?

That would be a good one.

How did you learn to perfect your craft?

Luckily enough I was able to run into Jam Master Jay from Run DMC and he took an interest in (my music). He helped develop me as an artist in the very beginning (and) taught me my song structure.

He would make me write the chorus to the song twice or three times before we decided which one and then write the rest of the record. "P.I.M.P." has two (choruses) on the record and that instinctively comes from because of how I learned how to write music.

Who is your dream male collaborator?

Elon Musk .

I mean in music.

I'd do something with Eminem again. We'll do something again at some point.

Who is your dream female collaborator?

Nicki Minaj . She's on fire. She's still right there.

Would you ever retire from making music?

I've retired several times. Because specifically, hip-hop is not something that you "work." In the culture, you work in it and you start to look at everything that happens like new artists to keep in touch with what's going on in music.

You can't see limitations with hip-hop, because look at what artists from hip-hop have done. You look at Will Smith in film, Mark Wahlberg in film, you look at Queen Latifah , L.L. Cool J . They've done phenomenal work and it was harder to do it in the time because they wouldn't let people in, specifically African Americans.

50 Cent The Final Lap – North American tour dates: 

The final lap – european tour dates:.

Additional dates for Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Europe will be released at a later time.

How to buy tickets to 50 Cent's tour

Fans who registered for 50 Cent's Ticketmaster Verified Fan presale and receive an access code can buy tickets to North American shows May 10 on Ticketmaster.com.

The general sale for North American shows begins Friday, May 12 at 10 a.m. local time on Ticketmaster.com. 

For European tour dates, local presales start on May 10 at 10 a.m. local time on 50Cent.com.

The general sale for European shows begins Friday, May 12 at 10 a.m. local time on 50Cent.com.

By clicking Sign In, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and that you have read our Privacy Policy .

Sign In Up with your social account

We won't post to any of your accounts

Your password must include:

• Min 8 characters
• Min 1 lowercase character
• Min 1 uppercase character
• Min 1 number

50 Cent Makes Music History After Selling Over $100 Million in Tickets to ‘The Final Lap’ Tour

50 Cent made history with his The Final Lap tour ticket sales.

The rapper, 48, embarked on the worldwide tour in March 2023 and played shows through December of that year, with one additional concert getting added this past March. 50 Cent played at various major cities in the United States and internationally, including Nashville, Los Angeles, Amsterdam and Paris, among others.

The tour officially came to an end in December 2023 with 50 Cent’s final show in Phoenix, Arizona, on March 3, but it’s still making headlines. The Final Lap has become the fourth tour by any rapper to surpass $100 million in ticket sales, following Drake and Migos’ co-headlining Aubrey & the Three Migos Tour , Drake’s I t’s All a Blur Tour and Kendrick Lamar ’s The Big Steppers Tour.

Now that his tour has come to an end, 50 Cent is gearing up to release a novel titled The Accomplice , which is set to drop on September 3.

Related: Stars Who’ve Written Books

“I want to bring a big heist story to the page,” 50 Cent shared in a statement to People in March. “My debut fiction novel and its follow-up series will be captivating.”

The novel is set to follow FBI agent Nia Robinson, who works within the robbery division. Nia decided to join the agency after her father was convicted of embezzlement. Now, she’s determined to clear his name.

“Stay tuned for The Accomplice coming to the big screen as well,” 50 Cent teased to People at the time. Of course, the musician is no stranger to the publishing industry as he has published various nonfiction books over the years, including 2020’s Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter .

50 Cent has found professional success over the years not only with his music but with his acting projects as well. Upon its release, Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter was referred to as the music mogul’s most honest work as he “opens up about his amazing comeback — from tragic personal loss to thriving businessman and cable’s highest-paid executive,” per the summary.

You have successfully subscribed.

Subscribe to newsletters

By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from Us Weekly

Deal of the Day

Check our latest news in Google News

Check our latest news in Apple News

Related: TV Stars Who’ve Directed Episodes of Their Own Shows

He made his musical debut in the 1990s, rising to fame throughout the 2000s. Throughout his rap career, 50 Cent released five studio albums (the last being Animal Ambition in 2014) before pivoting to the film industry. Not only does he have a few notable roles under his belt, but 50 Cent cocreated and starred in the Starz TV series Power from 2014 to 2020. He went on to reprise the role for Power Book II: Ghost . 

While finding success in the TV industry, 50 Cent hasn’t completely ruled out a return to music. 

“I get the attention that I want from music when I want it. I just went out and toured 45 countries, and everywhere was sold out,” he told Billboard in February 2023. “That made me want to offer new music that I could integrate into everything now. I’ve done what I wanted to do in the [sales] capacity. I’ve sold over 35 million records. Not singles — albums.”

In this article

More Stories

2024 Global Report on Internal Displacement

IDMC's Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID) is the world’s leading source of data and analysis on internal displacement.

© Illustration by Matt Murphy / Handsome Frank

The millions of people forced to flee in 2023 were just the ‘tip of the iceberg’, adding to the tens of millions of IDPs already displaced from previous and ongoing conflicts, violence, and disasters.

- Alexandra Bilak, Director, IDMC

The global picture

Internally displaced people (idps).

Internally displaced people are those who have been forced to flee their homes as a result of conflict, violence, or disasters and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border. This figure continues to rise as more people flee each year, adding to the numbers of those who have been living in displacement for years or even decades and have not yet achieved a durable solution.

What is the total number of IDPs?

The total number of IDPs is a snapshot of all the people living in internal displacement at the end of the year.

The number of IDPs continues to rise

The total number of people living in internal displacement increased by 51% over the past five years, reaching a record high of 75.9 million people across 116 countries at the end of 2023.

Why does the number of IDPs keep increasing?

New escalations of conflict such as in Sudan and Palestine forced millions of people to flee in 2023, adding to the tens of millions already living in displacement from ongoing or previous conflicts. Earthquakes, storms, floods and wildfires destroyed large numbers of homes, forcing even more people to remain displaced at the end of the year. In the absence of durable solutions to displacement, the number will likely continue to rise.

What is needed to reduce the number of IDPs?

Supporting return, local integration or resettlement, and addressing IDPs’ vulnerabilities, is essential. To prevent new and repeated displacement and end ongoing crises, governments need to reinforce conflict resolution, peacebuilding, disaster risk reduction, poverty reduction and climate action. Better data to inform prevention and response, as well as monitoring progress towards solutions, will help maximise the impact of these interventions.

IDPs by cause of displacement

Of the 75.9 million IDPs at the end of 2023 globally, 68.3 million were displaced by conflict and violence and 7.7 million by disasters .

• Conflict and violence

Internal displacements in 2023

An internal displacement is a forced movement recorded during the year. The same person can be forced to move multiple times, and we count each one. For example, a person who flees conflict and goes to a displacement camp may be forced to flee again if the camp comes under attack or is hit by an earthquake, flood or other disaster. 

• By conflict and violence
• By disasters

What are internal displacements?

The internal displacements figure refers to the number of forced movements of people within the borders of their country recorded during the year. This helps capture repeated and multiple movements.

Conflict displacement remains high

28% fewer conflict displacements compared to 2022, mostly due to fewer movements in Ukraine as the front lines became more static. Still, global figures were 70% higher than the annual average of the past decade.

Key displacement situations

displacements by conflict in Sudan, the second-highest figure ever recorded after Ukraine in 2022

3.4 million

displacements by conflict in Palestine, its highest figure since data became available in 2008

displacements in Burkina Faso, the highest figure since the escalation of conflict in 2019

Disaster displacement remains high

3rd highest figure in the last decade despite fewer displacements by weather-related hazards.

4.7 million

displacements by the Türkiye-Syria earthquakes, the highest figure for earthquakes since 2008

2.9 million

movements by floods in the Horn of Africa following years of drought

of all displacements by wildfires were recorded in Canada and Greece

Internal displacement can happen anywhere

There were 46.9 million internal displacements , or movements, recorded during 2023, across 151 countries and territories . All but three of the 45 countries and territories that reported conflict displacement last year also reported disaster displacement. The 148 countries and territories reporting disaster displacement include high-income countries such as Canada and New Zealand which reported their highest figures ever. 

No country is immune to disaster displacement, but we can see a difference in how displacement affects people in countries that prepare and plan for its impacts and those that don’t. 

Regional overviews

The scale and impacts of internal displacement can differ depending on the context. For example, the transition from La Niña to El Niño reduced the scale of storm displacement in East Asia and Pacific but triggered significant flood displacement in the Horn of Africa. The conflict in Gaza left 83 percent of the population internally displaced in less than three months at the end of 2023. Explore our regional analyses to get deeper insights into how displacement affects people in different parts of the world.

• Sub-Saharan Africa
• Middle East and North Africa
• East Asia and Pacific
• The Americas
• Europe and Central Asia

IDPs by conflict and violence

IDPs by disasters

Internal displacements (movements)

Internal displacements by conflict and violence

Internal displacements by disasters

Sub-Saharan Africa , which hosts 46 per cent of the world’s IDPs, was again the region most affected by internal displacement in 2023. Conflict and disasters overlapped in many countries, forcing people to flee again and/or prolonging their displacement.

The conflict in Palestine contributed to an eight-fold increase in conflict displacements in the Middle East and North Africa in 2023 after three years of consecutive decreases. Disaster displacement figures were also the highest ever reported for the region, largely the result of earthquakes and floods.

East Asia and the Pacific recorded the highest number of disaster displacements globally, although the figure was the lowest since 2017. Conflict displacement there increased for the third year running, mostly the result of the situation in Myanmar.

Conflict and disasters triggered 47 per cent fewer displacements than the average of the past decade in South Asia , although disasters still uprooted millions of people from their homes.

Severe storms in the Americas triggered fewer than half the displacements recorded in 2022 and fewer than a quarter of the annual average since 2015. Conflict and violence triggered the largest number of movements in the region since records began in 2009, with Colombia and Haiti accounting for 85 per cent of the total.

Europe and Central Asia recorded by far its highest number of disaster displacements in 2023. The earthquakes in Türkiye accounted for most of them, but wildfire, storm and flood displacements also increased around the Mediterranean basin. Almost all of the conflict displacements recorded in the region were associated with the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Country spotlights

Afghanistan

Earthquakes extend cycle of conflict and disaster displacement

Record wildfires spread to urban areas

Changing conflict dynamics still disproportionately affect the most vulnerable

Years of conflict and weakened infrastructure compound Derna flood impact

Cyclone Freddy puts disaster risk management to the test

New Zealand

Disaster resilience and tailored responses mitigate impact of Cyclone Gabrielle

Conflict in Gaza leaves 83 per cent of the population internally displaced in less than three months

The Philippines

Six years after conflict, progress and challenges for IDPs

Conflict triggers more displacement than in previous 14 years combined

Disasters bring challenges for IDPs and drive first increase in displacements in four years

Earthquakes trigger largest disaster displacement event of 2023

Durable solutions a distant prospect for many IDPs

Explore the latest displacement figures and analysis

Please contact us if you would like high-resolution maps or graphics or if you have research or other questions about our data and analysis.  

Launch event

Watch the launch event which includes a keynote address from Jan Egeland, Secretary General of NRC, presentation of the GRID 2024 key findings and analysis and a panel discussion with high-level officials from Ukraine, the UN and civil society. 

Please see the Quick guide on how to read our data for definitions and links to information about our metrics and methodologies.  

• Biography of spokespeople
• Press release
• Media contacts

Alexandra Bilak

Director, Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre

Jan Engeland

Secretary General, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)

Vicente Anzellini

Global and Regional Analysis Manager

Ivana Hajzmanova

Global Monitoring Manager

Christelle Cazabat

Head of Programmes

For interviews or additional information, please contact: 

Charlotte Rose , communications specialist, di:ga Strategy and Communications   Email: [email protected]   Mobile: +44 7838508273    

Mark Gnadt , Head of Communications, IDMC   Email: [email protected]    Mobile: +41 79 560 6289   

With thanks