Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975) professionally known as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and television producer. He was born in Queens, New York City, and began pursuing a music career in 1996. Between 1999 and 2000, he recorded his debut album "Power of the Dollar" for Columbia Records, but its release was canceled after he was shot nine times in May 2000, an incident that also led to his departure from the label. His 2002 mixtape "Guess Who's Back?" brought him renewed attention and was discovered by Eminem, who subsequently signed him to Shady Records, an imprint of Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. Jackson achieved major commercial and critical success with his debut studio album "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" in 2003. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and produced the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping singles "In da Club" and "21 Questions", the latter featuring Nate Dogg. It was later certified nine times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. That same year, Jackson founded G-Unit Records, named after the hip-hop group he had formed earlier, with initial signees including Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo. His second album, "The Massacre", released in 2005, also debuted at number one and included the chart-topping single "Candy Shop" featuring Olivia. His subsequent albums "Curtis" in 2007 and "Before I Self Destruct" in 2009 adopted a more commercially oriented approach and were met with comparatively lower critical and commercial reception. In 2014, he released his fifth studio album "Animal Ambition", which received mixed reviews. Following this period, Jackson increasingly shifted his focus toward film and television. He executive-produced and starred in the television series "Power", which aired from 2014 to 2020, along with several spin-off series, through his production company G-Unit Films and Television Inc. Across his career, Jackson has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and has received numerous awards, including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, multiple Billboard Music Awards, World Music Awards, American Music Awards, and BET Awards. He starred in the semi-autobiographical film "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" in 2005, as well as appearing in films such as "Home of the Brave" and "Righteous Kill". In 2023, Billboard ranked him 17th on its list of the "50 Greatest Rappers" and named him the sixth top artist of the 2000s decade. Rolling Stone included "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" and "In da Club" in its lists of the "100 Best Albums of the 2000s" and "100 Best Songs of the 2000s", respectively. Studio albums Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003) The Massacre (2005) Curtis (2007) Before I Self Destruct (2009) Animal Ambition (2014)