He’s been a titan in the music world for almost 30 years,

but it seems some of 50 Cent’s fans are just now discovering the real story behind his famous stage name.

Born as Curtis James Jackson III,

50 Cent

‘s childhood in Queens, New York, was filled with hardships that no child should have to endure.

His life took a tragic turn when he was only eight years old

, as his mother, Sabrina, who was involved in drug dealing, died under heartbreaking circumstances.

This left him under the care of his grandparents due to his father’s absence.

By the tender age of 11, young

Curtis was already tangled up in street life,

“selling crack on the strip” while balancing school and boxing training.


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His illegal activities didn’t go unnoticed; he was eventually caught by metal detectors at school, which led to his arrest.

In 1994, he was sentenced to prison for drug-related crimes. He served six months in a boot camp and managed to earn his GED, marking a pivotal moment in his life.

It was at this point that he adopted the alias 50 Cent, symbolizing change. He explained that the name was inspired by Kelvin Martin, a notorious 1980s Brooklyn robber also known as 50 Cent.

He stated: “It says everything I want it to say. I’m the same kind of person 50 Cent was. I provide for myself by any means.”

Just two years out of prison, 50 Cent turned to music for comfort, perfecting his skills in the basement of a buddy’s house. He recorded tracks for his initial album “Power of the Dollar” with Columbia Records during 1999 and 2000.

But after surviving a shooting that nearly took his life, the album got shelved, and Columbia cut ties with him.

In 2002, Eminem discovered 50 Cent’s mixtape Guess Who’s Back?

and quickly brought him into the fold at Shady Records. This was the launchpad for 50 Cent’s meteoric rise, spawning chart-toppers like In da Club, Just A Lil Bit, Many Men, 21 Questions, Intro, p.i.m.p, and Candy Shop.

According to Hip Hop Gods: “So far, 50 Cent has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and won several prestigious awards, including a Grammy Award and three American Music Awards.

“Billboard ranked him as the third-best rapper of the 00s, and the sixth-best overall artist of the same decade. His single In da Club was included at spot #13 on Rolling Stones magazine’s list of the 100 Best Songs of the 2000s!”

Delving into how he got his moniker, a Quora user shared: “The name was inspired by Kelvin Martin, a 1980s Brooklyn robber known as 50 Cent; Jackson chose it ‘because it says everything I want it to say’.”

Another added their voice: “50 Cent’s real name is Curtis James Jackson III. His stage name 50 Cent was chosen because it’s a metaphor for change.”


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