Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson III

50 Cent was born in South Jamaica in Queens, New York City. Raised by his grandparents, he was no stranger to the streets and the drugs that ran the streets. Amid the chaos of the street, he nurtured a love for music and hip hop.

His mother, a well-known drug dealer, died when Curtis was a young boy.Without a father as well, he had no choice but move in with his grandparents. While in high school, he was dealing drugs until he confessed to his grandmother that he was doing so.

After leaving the drug dealing life, he pursued a career in the hip hop industry as a rapper . With his friend, they started to produce records in his friend’s basement. Later, he produced a controversial track that would grab the attention of many top artists in the hip hop industry at that current moment.

After many responses to it and the growing hype around the track, Curtis’ career started to be noticed and take off. Unfortunately, he was fatally shot many time but survived the incident in 2000. This particular event put a damper on 50 Cent’s progress and had to go through extensive rehab afterwards.

Nevertheless, he recovered successfully and came back stronger than ever. The buzz about 50 picked right back again and even more people started to hear more about who is “50 Cent”. He received so much hype that even Eminem himself listened to his Cd. Soon after, Eminem invited 50 Cent to Los Angeles and they both agreed to a deal that would sign Curtis “50 Cent” to Interscope Records.

What we can learn:

5o Cent’s most famous saying is “Get rich or die tryin’.” Any individual will associate that key phrase to this hip hop legend whether that person follows hip hop closely. I love that quote so much. It perfectly describes the urgency to succeed at whatever cost. Of course it doesn’t mean to kill yourself literally. It means you will need to take the right risks whether you succeed or fail in the process.

Fear is something we shouldn’t be fearful of. Fear should become one of our main motivational factors in succeeding. Imagine being shot and being fearful of what might happen the very next minute. This didn’t deter Curtis “50 Cent” from moving forward no matter what. Here is what he said, “Every negative is a positive. The bad things that happen to me, I somehow make them good. That means you can’t do anything to hurt me.”

When you are on the journey of success, you will need to keep in mind with who you associate with. Friends who are not going to positively influence you will drag you down. Good friends may eventually change for the worst and affect you later negatively. 50 Cent warns us that friends may become a hindrance on the road to success, “Here’s a jewel: Love your enemies and hate your friends. Your enemies remain the same — friends always change.”

Achievements:

He was successful in releasing 5 solo albums so far in his music career. 50 Cent won a Grammy Award in addition to winning 73 other awards. His most successful album Get Rich or Die Tryin’ has been certified platinum eight times.

In 2003, 50 Cent successfully founded his own record company called G-Unit. Several successful rappers have been signed or currently signed to G-Unit including Young Buck, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo.

50 Cent has created successful business deals with Vitamin Water and founded successful brands such as SMS (Sounds), SMS (Headphones), and Street King. His goal through his company Street King is to donate a part of the every sale to the starving kids around the world. By 2016, his initiative is to feed one billion people in Africa by that date.

For a music artist and an entrepreneur, he has garnered an impressive acting resume. Curtis “50 Cent” has acted in around 18 movies and is continuing to act in many more in upcoming years. His most successful film called “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” is a semi-autobiography film based on his life. It was his first film that he acted in as well.

Industries and Numbers:

Forbes estimates 50 Cent’s net worth to be around $260 million dollars.
50 Cent is a successful Actor, Author, Artist, Entrepreneur, and Business Investor
When Coca Cola bought Vitamin Water in 2007 for 1.4 billion dollars , it is estimated Curtis earned $100 million dollars from the deal.
50 Cent signed a 5-year deal with Reebok to distribute his G-Unit sneaker product.
His goal is to feed 1 billion starving people by 2016 through Street King.

Business Owner and CEO:
SMS Audio
SMS Promotions
Street King
G-Unit Records & Clothing Company
G-unit the brand
Vitamin Water (Investor)
Vitamin-water-50-cent
Cheetah Vision Films