50 Cent - aka Curtis James Jackson III - first came onto the music scene in the early 2000's.
Since rising to fame, the '21 Questions' rapper has expanded into executive producing, acting and directing to stay relevant. In 2021, he's said to be worth $40 million (£28,972,600).
But did you know, he didn't start taking his music career seriously until he was shot?
Advert
Born in Queens, New York in July 1975, Jackson's childhood was tainted by drugs and gangs.
After his mother was shot dead, he was taken in by his grandmother to be raised. By age 12, Jackson was selling drugs on the streets, at the height of the crack cocaine epidemic.
By age 15, he was in 'juvie' (juvenile prison) and recalls his grandmother visiting him there. He said in a tweet looking back at those days, "on the South Side you have to grow up faster. I made a lot of mistakes. I was already in juvie. I remember my Nana coming to see me, she is my angel... she love me unconditionally.
Jackson has always had an interest in music, in particular, rap. His big break came in 2002 when Eminem heard his mixtape and invited him to LA to meet him and Dr Dre.
Advert
By 2003, 50 made his debut in the mainstream music world with his hit singles 'Get Rich or Die Tryin' and 'In Da Club.'
How old was 50 Cent when he was shot?
50 Cent was shot in 2000 outside his grandmother's home in Queens, New York. He would have been 25-years-old at the time.
Advert
In 2012, Jackson returned to the very spot where he was shot during an episode of Oprah's Next Chapter.
Recalling the shooting, he said:
"I came out like twelve-o-clock in the afternoon on May 24th.
"She was bent over planting flowers in the garden and I walked over here to get in the vehicle where my friend was waiting for me and a car pulled up on the side of us and a guy came out of the passenger seat of that car, came round behind it, and shot through the actual car."
Advert
You can watch a clip from the episode below.
How many times was he shot?
50 Cent was shot nine times all over his body, including his legs, hands, arms, face and chest. His legs were broken in several places and he spent 13 days in hospital.
Advert
He told Oprah Winfrey during the interview in 2012: "It doesn't hurt as much as people imagine it hurts - because of the adrenaline. But it hurts after,"
"Going through that experience, when you get hurt that bad either your fear consumes you or you become a bit insensitive.
"There was a point where I was afraid... and then in the recovery process I got tired of being afraid. The only way to cover those emotions was to be a bit more aggressive. And to be angry about the situation opposed to how I was actually feeling at that point."
Who tried to kill 50 cent?
"I knew who did it shortly after," 50 told Oprah. "The guy who actually shot me is dead and the guy who paid him to do it got life in jail."
According to Billboard, it was Darryl Baum who actually shot 50 cent, under the instructions of "crack kingpin" Kenneth McGriff, as revenge for a song detailing McGriff's criminal past.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Celebrity, Music, 50 Cent