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Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6,
1975), better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American
rapper. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or
Die Tryin' (2003) and The Massacre (2005). Both albums achieved
multi-platinum success, selling over twenty-one million copies
combined.
Born in South Jamaica, Queens, 50 Cent began drug dealing at the age
of twelve during the 1980s crack epidemic. After leaving drug
dealing to pursue a rap career, he was shot at and struck by nine
bullets during an incident in 2000. After releasing his album Guess
Who's Back? in 2002, 50 Cent was discovered by rapper Eminem and
signed to Interscope Records. With the help of Eminem and Dr. Dre—who
produced his first major commercial successes—he became one of the
world's highest selling rappers. In 2003, he founded the record
label G-Unit Records, which signed several successful rappers such
as Young Buck, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo.
50 Cent has engaged in feuds with other rappers including Ja Rule,
The Game, Cam'ron, Fat Joe, Lil Wayne and most recently Rick Ross.
He has also pursued an acting career, appearing in the
semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin' in 2005, the Iraq
War film Home of the Brave in 2006, and Righteous Kill in 2008. 50
Cent has a been able to keep a very strong friendship with the
Reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel throughout them 50 Cent has been able
to reach Latin America audience. Both Wisin & Yandel and 50 Cent
have made one song and one single, the one who top many charts was
from the album of Wisin & Yandel La Revolucion, the song was name
Mujeres In The Club and the other was "Asi Soy Yo", this could also
means the 50 Cent is much known in Spanish-Speaking countries such
as now in El Salvador, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia,
Spain, Honduras, and Chile.
Life and music career
Early life
Curtis Jackson III grew up in the South Jamaica neighborhood of
Queens, in New York City. He grew up without a father and was raised
by his mother, Sabrina, who gave birth to him at the age of fifteen.
Sabrina, a cocaine dealer, raised Jackson until the age of eight,
when she was murdered in 1983. Twenty-three at the time, she became
unconscious after someone drugged her drink. She was then left for
dead after the gas in her apartment was turned on and the windows
shut closed. After her death, Jackson moved into his grandparents'
house with his eight aunts and uncles. He recalls, "My grandmother
told me, 'Your mother's not coming home. She's not gonna come back
to pick you up. You're gonna stay with us now.' That's when I
started adjusting to the streets a little bit".
Jackson's mug shot, August 23, 1994Jackson began boxing around the
age of eleven. At fourteen, a neighbor opened a boxing gym for local
kids. "When I wasn't killing time in school, I was sparring in the
gym or selling crack on the strip", he recalled. In the mid 1980s,
he competed in the Junior Olympics as an amateur boxer. He recounts,
"I was competitive in the ring and hip-hop is competitive too... I
think rappers condition themselves like boxers, so they all kind of
feel like they're the champ". At the age of twelve, Jackson began
dealing narcotics when his grandparents thought he was at
after-school programs. He also took guns and drug money to school.
In the tenth grade, he was caught by metal detectors at Andrew
Jackson High School. He later stated, "I was embarrassed that I got
arrested like that... After I got arrested I stopped hiding it. I
was telling my grandmother [openly], 'I sell drugs.'"
On June 29, 1994, Jackson was arrested for helping to sell four
vials of cocaine to an undercover police officer. He was arrested
again three weeks later when police searched his home and found
heroin, ten ounces of crack cocaine, and a starter gun. He was
sentenced to three to nine years in prison, but managed to serve six
months in a shock incarceration boot camp where he earned his GED.
Jackson said that he did not use cocaine himself, he only sold it.
He adopted the nickname "50 Cent" as a metaphor for "change". The
name was derived from Kelvin Martin, a 1980s Brooklyn robber known
as "50 Cent". Jackson chose the name "because 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".
1996–2000: Early career
50 Cent started rapping in a friend's basement where he used
turntables to record over instrumentals. In 1996, a friend
introduced him to Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC who was organizing his
label Jam Master Jay Records. Jay taught him how to count bars,
write choruses, structure songs, and how to make a record. 50 Cent's
first official appearance was on a song titled "React" with the
group Onyx on their 1998 album Shut 'Em Down. He credited Jam Master
Jay as an influence who helped him improve his ability to write
hooks. Jay produced 50 Cent's first album, however it was never
released. In 1999, after leaving Jam Master Jay, the
platinum-selling producers Trackmasters took notice of 50 Cent and
signed him to Columbia Records. They sent him to a studio in Upstate
New York where he produced thirty-six songs in two weeks. Eighteen
were included on his unofficially released album, Power of the
Dollar in 2000. He also started the now-defunct Hollow Point
Entertainment with former G-Unit affiliate Bang 'Em Smurf.
50 Cent's popularity started to increase after the successful but
controversial underground single, "How to Rob", which he wrote in
half an hour while in a car on the way to a studio. The track
comically explains how he would rob famous artists. He explained the
reasoning behind song's content as, "There's a hundred artists on
that label, you gotta separate yourself from that group and make
yourself relevant". Rappers Jay-Z, Kurupt, Sticky Fingaz, Big Pun,
DMX, Wyclef Jean and the Wu-Tang Clan replied to the song and Nas,
who received the track positively, invited 50 Cent to travel on a
promotional tour for his Nastradamus album. The song was intended to
be released with "Thug Love" featuring Destiny's Child, but two days
before he was scheduled to film the "Thug Love" music video, 50 Cent
was shot and confined to a hospital due to his injuries.
2000–2001: Shooting
On May 24, 2000, 50 Cent was attacked by a gunman, alleged to be
Darryl "Hommo" Baum, outside his grandmother's former home in South
Jamaica, Queens. He went into a friend's car, but was asked to
return to the house to get jewelry. His son was in the house while
his grandmother was in the front yard. Upon returning to the back
seat of the car, another car pulled up nearby. An assailant then
walked up to 50 Cent's left side with a 9mm handgun and fired nine
shots at close range. He was shot nine times: in the hand (a round
hit his right thumb and came out of his little finger), arm, hip,
both legs, chest, and left cheek. The face wound resulted in a
swollen tongue, the loss of a wisdom tooth, and a small slur in his
voice. His friend also sustained a gunshot wound to the hand. They
were driven to the hospital where 50 Cent spent thirteen days. The
alleged shooter, Darryl Baum, was killed three weeks later. Darryl
Baum was also Mike Tyson's close friend and bodyguard.
50 Cent recalled the incident saying, "It happens so fast that you
don't even get a chance to shoot back... I was scared the whole
time... I was looking in the rear-view mirror like, 'Oh shit,
somebody shot me in the face! It burns, burns, burns.'" In his
memoir, From Pieces to Weight: Once upon a Time in Southside Queens,
he wrote, "After I got shot nine times at close range and didn't
die, I started to think that I must have a purpose in life... How
much more damage could that shell have done? Give me an inch in this
direction or that one, and I'm gone". He used a walker for the first
six weeks and fully recovered after five months. When he left the
hospital, he stayed in the Poconos with his then-girlfriend and son.
His workout regime helped him attain his muscular physique.
While in the hospital, 50 Cent signed a publishing deal with
Columbia Records. However, he was dropped from the label and
"blacklisted" in the recording industry because of his song "Ghetto
Qu'ran". Unable to find a studio to work with in the U.S, he
traveled to Canada. Along with his business partner Sha Money XL, he
recorded over thirty songs for mixtapes, with the purpose of
building a reputation. 50 Cent's popularity rose and in 2002, he
released material independently on the mixtape, Guess Who's Back?.
Beginning to attract interest, and now backed by G-Unit, 50 Cent
continued to make songs. They released the mixtape, 50 Cent Is the
Future, revisiting material by Jay-Z and Raphael Saadiq.
2002–present: Rise to fame
In 2002, Eminem listened to a copy of 50 Cent's Guess Who's Back?
CD. He received the CD through 50 Cent's attorney, who was working
with Eminem's manager Paul Rosenberg. Impressed with the album,
Eminem invited 50 Cent to fly to Los Angeles, where he was
introduced to Dr. Dre. After signing a one million dollar record
deal, 50 Cent released the mixtape, No Mercy, No Fear. It featured
one new track, "Wanksta", which was put on Eminem's 8 Mile
soundtrack. He was also signed to Chris Lighty's Violator Management
and Sha Money XL's Money Management Group.
In February 2003, 50 Cent released his commercial debut album, Get
Rich or Die Tryin'. Allmusic described it as "probably the most
hyped debut album by a rap artist in about a decade". Rolling Stone
noted the album for its "dark synth grooves, buzzy keyboards and a
persistently funky bounce" with 50 Cent complementing the production
in "an unflappable, laid-back flow". It debuted at number one on the
Billboard 200, selling 872,000 copies in the first four days. The
lead single, "In da Club", which The Source noted for its "blaring
horns, funky organs, guitar riffs and sparse hand claps", broke a
Billboard record as the most listened-to song in radio history
within a week.
Interscope granted 50 Cent his own label, G-Unit Records in 2003. He
signed Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, and Young Buck as the established
members of G-Unit. The Game was later signed under a joint venture
with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. In March 2005, 50 Cent's
second commercial album, The Massacre, sold 1.14 million copies in
the first four days—the highest in an abbreviated sales cycle— and
peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 for six weeks. He became
the first solo artist to have three singles on the Billboard top
five in the same week with "Candy Shop", "Disco Inferno", and "How
We Do". Rolling Stone noted that "50's secret weapon is his singing
voice — the deceptively amateur-sounding tenor croon that he deploys
on almost every chorus".
From left: With Olivia, Lloyd Banks, and Young Buck in Bangkok,
Thailand, February 2006After The Game's departure, 50 Cent signed
singer Olivia and rap veterans Mobb Deep to G-Unit Records. Spider
Loc, M.O.P., and Young Hot Rod later joined the label. 50 Cent
expressed interest in working with rappers outside of G-Unit, such
as Lil' Scrappy of BME, LL Cool J from Def Jam, Mase from Bad Boy,
and Freeway of Roc-A-Fella, some of whom he recorded with. In
September 2007, he released his third album Curtis, which was
inspired by his life before Get Rich or Die Tryin'. It debuted at
number two on the Billboard 200, selling 691,000 units in the first
week, behind Kanye West's Graduation, whom he had a sales
competition with, as both albums were released on the same day. He
confirmed on TRL on September 10, 2008 that his fourth studio album,
Before I Self Destruct, will be "done and released in November". On
May 18 2009, 50 cent released a song entitled "Ok, You're Right".
The song was produced by Dr. Dre and will be included in Before I
Self Destruct.
Non-musical projects
50 Cent has established himself in a variety of fields. In November
2003, he signed a five year deal with Reebok to distribute a "G-Unit
Sneakers" line as part of his G-Unit Clothing Company. He provided
the voice-over as the protagonist in the video game, 50 Cent:
Bulletproof, which was released for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and the
PlayStation Portable. Its sequel, 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, was
released in early 2009. He worked with Glacéau to create a Vitamin
Water drink called Formula 50. In 2007, Coca-Cola purchased Glacéau
for US$4.1 billion. Forbes estimated 50 Cent, who owns a stake in
the company, to have earned $100 million after taxes. He has teamed
up with Right Guard to launched a body spray called Pure 50 RGX Body
Spray and a condom line called Magic Stick Condoms, in which he
planned to donate part of the proceeds to HIV awareness. 50 Cent has
signed a multi-year deal with Steiner Sports to sell his
memorabilia.
In 2005, 50 Cent made a cameo appearance on The Simpsons episode "Pranksta
Rap", in which he makes light of his legal troubles. The same year,
he starred alongside Terrence Howard in the semi-autobiographical
film Get Rich or Die Tryin'. He starred in the 2006 film, Home of
the Brave, as a soldier returning home from the Iraq War,
traumatized after killing an Iraqi woman. 50 Cent is working on a
role as a fighter in an Angola State Prison in Spectacular Regret
alongside Nicolas Cage, and starred opposite Al Pacino and Robert De
Niro in 2008's Righteous Kill, a movie regarding a police death. He
also started the film production companies G-Unit Films in 2007 and
Cheetah Vision in 2008. In August 2007, 50 Cent announced plans to
launch a dietary supplement company in conjunction with his movie
Spectacular Regret.
Shortly before appearing in Get Rich or Die Tryin', 50 Cent released
a memoir about his life and how he became successful titled From
Pieces to Weight: Once upon a Time in Southside Queens. On January
4, 2007, he launched his G-Unit Books imprint at the Time Warner
Building. He also co-wrote The Ski Mask Way, a novel about a
small-time drug dealer who attempts to rob his employers, which is
to be turned into a film. 50 Cent said he read Robert Greene's The
33 Strategies of War and worked with the author on a book titled The
50th Law, an urban take on The 48 Laws of Power. In May 2008,
Jackson met billionaire Patrice Motsepe to forge a joint venture
selling 50 Cent-branded platinum.
Jackson started a reality television show on MTV titled 50 Cent: The
Money and the Power; the winning contestant won a $100,000
investment from Jackson. The Winners name is Ryan Mayberry.
Personal life
On October 13, 1997, 50 Cent's then-girlfriend Shaniqua Tompkins
gave birth to a son, Marquise Jackson. Tompkins later sued 50 Cent
for $50 million dollars, claiming that he said that he would take
care of her for life; the suit, which includes 15 claims was later
dismissed by a judge, calling it "an unfortunate tale of a love
relationship gone sour." As of February 2009, Tompkins' and her
lawyer are considering an appeal.
The birth of his son changed 50 Cent's outlook on life: "when 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". He
credited his son for inspiring his career and being "motivation to
go in a different direction".
50 Cent has a tattoo of "Marquise" with an axe on his right biceps.
"The axe is 'cause I'm a warrior. I don't want him to be one,
though", he explains. He also has "50", "Southside", and "Cold
World" inscribed on his back because "I'm a product of that
environment. It's on my back, though, so it's all behind me". 50
Cent dated actress Vivica A. Fox in 2003. After a few months, he
announced their split up on the The Howard Stern Show when pictures
from a photo shoot they did ended up on the cover of Today's Black
Woman magazine without his knowledge.
In 2005, 50 Cent expressed support for President George W. Bush
after rapper Kanye West criticized him for the slow response in
assisting the Hurricane Katrina victims. If his felony convictions
did not prevent him from voting, he claimed he would have voted for
Bush. He later stated that Bush "has less compassion than the
average human. By all means, I don’t aspire to be like George Bush".
In 2007, Forbes recognized 50 Cent for his wealth, placing him
second behind Jay-Z in the rap industry. He resides in Farmington,
Connecticut, in the former mansion of ex-boxer Mike Tyson. He put
the mansion for sale at US$18.5 million to move closer to his son
who lives in Long Island with his ex-girlfriend. On October 12,
2007, the Mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut declared it "50 Cent
Curtis Jackson Day". He was honored with a key to the city and an
official proclamation. One of his homes in New York purchased for
2.4 million dollars in January 2007 and at the center of a lawsuit
between 50 Cent and ex-girlfriend Shaniqua Tompkins caught fire on
May 31, 2008 while he was out of town filming for a movie in
Louisiana.
In December 2008 50 told the Canadian Press that he had already been
hit by the recession, losing several million dollars on the stock
market. He also went on to say that he had been unable to sell his
Connecticut mansion and pushed Before I Self-Destruct back because
of the recent economic downturn.
Controversy
This article's Criticism or Controversy section(s) may mean the
article does not present a neutral point of view of the subject. It
may be better to integrate the material in such sections into the
article as a whole. (June 2009)
Murder Inc.
Before signing with Interscope, 50 Cent engaged in a well-publicized
dispute with rapper Ja Rule and his label Murder Inc. (now The
Inc.). The rappers engaged in mixtape "disses". 50 Cent claims that
a friend robbed Ja Rule of his jewelry and that Ja Rule accused him
of setting it up. However, Ja Rule claimed the conflict stemmed from
a video shoot in Queens because 50 Cent did not like seeing him
"getting so much love" from the neighborhood. In March 2000, while
at The Hit Factory studio in New York, 50 Cent had an altercation
with Murder Inc. associates. He was treated for three stitches after
receiving a stab wound. Rapper Black Child claimed responsibility
for the stabbing, saying he acted in self-defense because he thought
someone reached for a gun.
An anti-50 Cent billboard in Tribeca, New York.An affidavit by an
IRS agent suggested that the label had ties to Kenneth "Supreme"
McGriff, a New York drug lord who was suspected of being involved in
the murder of Jam Master Jay and the shooting of 50 Cent. An excerpt
of the affidavit read:
The investigation has uncovered a conspiracy involving McGriff and
others to murder a rap artist who has released songs containing
lyrics regarding McGriff's criminal activities. The rap artist was
shot in 2000, survived and thereafter refused to cooperate with law
enforcement regarding the shooting. Messages transmitted over the
Murder Inc. pager indicate that McGriff is involved in an ongoing
plot to kill this rap artist, and that he communicates with Murder
Inc. employees concerning the target.
New York rappers
Before releasing The Massacre, 50 Cent recorded a song "Piggy Bank",
a response to Ja Rule's song "New York", which was leaked before the
album's release. The song takes aim at rappers including Fat Joe,
Nas, and Jadakiss. Fat Joe responded with a song, "My Fofo",
accusing 50 Cent of taking steroids, hiding in his home, and being
jealous of The Game. Jadakiss also responded with a song,
"Checkmate", and said that 50 Cent was trying to "create a buzz for
his new album". The "Piggy Bank" music video portrays animated
caricatures of Jadakiss (as a Ninja turtle), Fat Joe (as an
overweight boxer who receives a knockout), Nas (as a kid chasing a
"milkshake" truck in a Superman costume), and The Game (as Mr.
Potato Head). Kelis, Nas's wife, responded to the song on her single
"Bossy."
50 Cent spoke negatively about Bad Boy Entertainment mogul Sean
Combs and recorded a song, "Hip-Hop", revealing the reasons behind
his negative feelings: primarily, a contract dispute over Mase. In
the song, he implied that Diddy knew about The Notorious B.I.G.'s
murder and threatened to expose him through former associates. The
feud was resolved, with both rappers appearing on MTV's TRL and
Sucker Free, respectively, stating that there were no longer
problems.
On February 1, 2007, Cam'ron and 50 Cent had a live argument on The
Angie Martinez Show on Hot 97 radio. 50 Cent commented that Koch
Entertainment was a "graveyard", meaning major record labels would
not work with their artists. Cam'ron then ridiculed the record sales
of G-Unit members Lloyd Banks and Mobb Deep by stating that Jim
Jones outsold their albums despite being signed to an independent
label and that his group, The Diplomats, had a distribution deal
from several labels. Both rappers released "diss" songs with videos
on YouTube. 50 Cent suggested in "Funeral Music" that Cam'ron is no
longer able to lead The Diplomats and that Jim Jones should take his
place. Cam'ron responded with "Curtis" and "Curtis Pt. II", in which
he makes fun of 50 Cent's appearance, calling him "a gorilla, with
rabbit teeth". 50 Cent responded by releasing "Hold On" with Young
Buck. He has recently squashed his feud with Jadakiss, but still has
conflict with Fat Joe.
Feud with The Game
50 Cent began a feud with The Game, with whom he was close before
The Game released his debut album The Documentary. After its
release, 50 Cent felt The Game was disloyal for saying he did not
want to participate in G-Unit's feuds with other rappers and even
wanting to work with artists they were feuding with. He also claimed
that he wrote six songs on the album and was not receiving proper
credit for his work, which The Game denied.
50 Cent later dismissed The Game from G-Unit on Hot 97 radio. After
the announcement, The Game, who was a guest earlier in the evening,
attempted to enter the building with his entourage. After being
denied entry, one of his associates was shot in the leg during a
confrontation with a group of men leaving the building. When the
situation escalated, both rappers held a press conference to
announce their reconciliation. Fans had mixed feelings as to whether
the rappers created a publicity stunt to boost the sales of the
albums they had just released. Nevertheless, even after the
situation deflated, G-Unit criticized The Game's street credibility.
The group denounced The Game and announced that they will not be
featured on his albums. During a Summer Jam performance, The Game
launched a boycott of G-Unit called "G-Unot".
After the Summer Jam performance, The Game released a track, "300
Bars and Runnin'", which addresses 50 Cent and G-Unit. He continued
his attacks in a Stop Snitchin, Stop Lyin' DVD. After numerous songs
aimed at G-Unit, 50 Cent responded to The Game's rebuttals on
mixtapes. One track, "Not Rich, Still Lyin'", imitates The Game,
attacks his credibility, and mentions his feud with his brother, Big
Fase 100.
The Game also released mixtape covers parodying the group. After he
displayed pictures of G-Unit dressed up as the Village People, 50
Cent posted a cover of The Game's head on the body of a male
stripper. Although he was signed to Aftermath Entertainment, The
Game left the label and signed with Geffen Records to terminate his
contractual obligations with G-Unit.
In July 2009, The Game stated the beef was squashed with help from
Michael Jackson and Diddy., and he apologized for his actions during
the beef. Tony Yayo said that neither 50 Cent or G-Unit would accept
his apology. It is speculated that 50 Cent will release a diss song
on Before I Self Destruct targeting The Game and Young Buck.
Feud with Rick Ross
Rick Ross started a feud with 50 Cent because he supposedly looked
at him the wrong way at the BET Awards. However, 50 cent told news
sources that he did not even remember seeing Rick Ross there. In
late January, a track titled "Mafia Music" by Rick Ross, leaked onto
the Internet. There were several lines that seem to diss 50 cent.
Days later, 50 Cent released "Officer Ricky (Go Head, Try Me)" in
response to Rick Ross' disparaging remarks days earlier on "Mafia
Music." 50 also took shots at DJ Khaled and Lil Wayne on the song.
At the end he claims Ross is "an appetizer. Where you at, Wayne?" He
continued to egg Wayne on. "You awfully quiet. You called Em out...
You got to pass me to get to him, " referring to the interview Lil
Wayne had in 2007, where he reached out to Eminem to collaborate
with him. In early February, 50 upped the ante and posted a video on
YouTube where he interviews Tia, the mother of Rick Ross' child. She
verifies his being a correctional officer and claims his whole
persona is fake. On Thursday, February 5, 2009, The Game called up
Seattle's KUBE 93 Radio Station. When asked about the feud between
50 Cent and Rick Ross, The Game gave props to 50 Cent and said that
things are not looking good for Rick Ross. However, he offered to
help Rick Ross get out of this situation. "Rick Ross, holla at your
boy, man," Game continued, "50 eating you, boy." In March, 50
released a sex tape to the internet of Ross baby mama, yet filmed
with another man–identified as "Brooke" and with a "Double R" tattoo
on her chest. 50, in a wig, proceeded to narrate the film
disparaging Ross. Tia stated she signed with G-Unit Books to release
her book about her life and her relationship with Rick Ross. Some of
commented on Rick Ross being the Gusto of Hip-hop. In an interview,
50 Cent said, Rick Ross is ‘Albert From CB4. You ever seen the
movie? He's Albert," he added. "It never gets worse than this. You
get a guy that was a correctional officer come out and base his
entire career on writing material from a drug dealer's perspective
such as "Freeway" Ricky Ross".
Feud with Lil Wayne
After hearing word that Lil Wayne had prepared a song for him after
50 made some unkind remarks, 50 lashed out at Wayne first on August
17 2007 with the song "Part Time Lover". Wayne never really
responded to the song, although a 50 Cent diss track called "Louisianimal"
did leak much later on November 17, 2008. 50 responded to Lil Wayne
in a song entitled "Play This On The Radio" which reportedly takes
shots at Kanye West as well. In the song he raps First They Say That
Fagot Hot, Then They Let That Junkie Shine, referring to Kanye West
as a "faggot" and Lil Wayne a "junkie". At the end he dares Wayne to
respond saying And I'm on your heels Mr. Carter I heard you want me
to die ugly? Ok..Don’t end up on the list.. be a missing person like
Cam'ron, like Ja, like Joe.. who want some? Who want it? What up?.
As of August 14, 2009, the controversy between 50 Cent and Lil Wayne
seems to have ended after 50 Cent appeared and performed at Lil
Wayne's America's Most Wanted Musical Festival stop in Anaheim,
California.
"Home" off Brian Head Welch's album Save Me From Myself
Brian Welch, (also known by his stage name Head), a former member of
the band Korn, wrote a song on his first solo album Save Me from
Myself entitled "Home" which was about 50 Cent. Welch, a born again
Christian, was inspired to write the song on a baptismal trip to
Israel. Welch said of the song that "If [50 Cent's reaction towards
"Home" is] a positive reaction and he's willing to talk to me, then
I'm not gonna release it, but if the reaction is not positive, I'm
going to share it with the world." [114] Home was the fifth track on
Welch's album which was released in September of 2008.
Lawsuit
On July 21, 2007, 50 Cent filed a US$1 million lawsuit against
advertising company Traffix Inc. of Pearl River, New York for using
his image in a promotion which he claims threatens his safety. He
became aware of the internet ad after one of his staff members saw
it on a MySpace page. According to court documents, the ad features
a cartoon image of the rapper and the message: "shoot the rapper and
you will win $5000 or five ring tones guaranteed". Though the ad did
not use his name, the image allegedly intended to resemble him,
suggesting he endorsed the ad. The lawsuit calls it a "vile,
tasteless and despicable" use of 50 Cent's image that "quite
literally calls for violence against him". The lawsuit seeks for
unspecified punitive damages and a permanent injunction against the
use of his image without permission. |
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| Reviews |
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50 Cent: Bulletproof
 | 50 Cent: Bulletproof is a heavily mixed bag. There are a lot of things to ...
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50 Cent: The Massacre
 | "Candy Shop", 50 Cent's lead single from his sophomore effort, The Massacre, is a track dripping with sexual energy ...
read more |
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