50 Cent G Unit

His lockjaw delivery makes him look as gangsta as Marlon "the Godfather" Brando, but 50 Cent is no actor, folks. In fact, his unique articulation has to do with a hole in his jaw, the result of having taken a bullet in the face (along with eight other shots taken to the rest of his body). He managed to defeat the odds by leaving the street hustle behind before it was too late, transforming his life of crime into a profession in rhyme. Whether rapping about the streets, the clubs, or even certain candy shops, 50 has quickly emerged as one of hip-hop's most dominant and talked about superstars to date.

Born Curtis Jackson, the New York native was raised in a drug-infested area of South Jamaica, Queens, and so, naturally, he was introduced to the negative side of the ghetto at an early age. 50 never knew his father, and his mother was a crack cocaine dealer and addict who was murdered in her own home by an unknown assailant at the age of 23. Only 8 years old at the time, 50 moved in with his grandparents, where he eventually followed in the footsteps of his mother by the age of 12. In tenth grade, he was arrested and given juvenile probation for possession of narcotics. 50 dropped out of school shortly thereafter. He continued his hustle, but the law caught up with him again, this time twice in a matter of three weeks. Perhaps these arrests put things in perspective for young 50, because soon after, he began to show an interest in writing rhymes with a few of his buddies. One of his crew introduced him to the late Jam Master Jay of Run-D.M.C., who showed 50 the ropes and produced a few unreleased tracks for him.

Never losing focus, 50 moved on and recorded another album, Power of the Dollar, this time with Columbia Records. But two months before he was set to debut in 2000, he suffered those infamous nine point-blank gunshot wounds and was dropped from his label as a result. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, however. Although the Power of the Dollar album was shelved, its catchiest single, "How to Rob," was featured in countless mix tapes circulating across the East Coast. And they inevitably made it to the West Coast and onto the Internet. The song became a turning point in 50's career. In it, he paints portraits of how he'd stick up random celebrities, from Mariah Carey to members of the Wu-Tang Clan to even Jay-Z. The single sparked not only controversy within the industry but also extreme popular demand from hip-hop fans.

His budding popularity, legendary invulnerability to bullets, and expertise in verbal assaults earned him the right to sign with Eminem and Dr. Dre in 2003. In doing so, he's sold more albums in two years (Get Rich or Die Tryin' and The Massacre) than most artists in any music genre can dream of selling in their entire careers. GameSpot recently filmed exclusive interviews with 50 Cent, the G-Unit, and the producer of the upcoming video game 50 Cent: Bulletproof. Watch the videos in this special feature for the latest on the world's premier rapper and his new video game. Sign me up to receive email updates on the latest news, contests and videos for 50 Cent and other Interscope Records artists.

Gunit 50 Cent

In The News:


ITProPortal

Sony Brings Streaming Music Service to the IPhone
PCWorld
By Jay Alabaster, IDG News Sony on Friday released an iPhone app to access its streaming Music Unlimited service, part of its efforts to expand its online platforms to devices from rival manufacturers. The app allows users to listen to and manage ...
Sony Music Unlimited Service Comes To iOSITProPortal
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Arena Stage's 'Music Man'
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Kate Baldwin's memorable Marian the Librarian draws us in to Arena Stage's endearingly melodic if unfortunately costumed revival of “The Music Man.” Marian Paroo (played by Kate Baldwin), left, and Amaryllis (played by Heidi Kaplan) perform a scene ...
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A baritone's death, a band's reunion call up lifetime of musical memories
Chicago Sun-Times
But for years, they have topped my personal pantheon of musical gods, and both have been on my mind in recent days. The reunited Beach Boys were in town last week for two shows at the Chicago Theatre, and I was there, bopping along to the tunes that ...

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Finding dark music in Max Payne's world
Los Angeles Times
(Ricardo DeAratanha, Los Angeles Times / May 14, 2012) By Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times "This is music for shootin' people in the face," jokes Jake Duzsik, lead singer of the experimental LA-based rock band Health as he listens to the single "Tears," ...


Sony and Tivoli Intro Music Apps (Peacefully); Dish Network Feature Under Fire
Philadelphia Inquirer (blog)
Sony and Tivoli Audio have just introduced free (at least for a while) music streaming apps for the iPhone/iPod, But three broadcast networks yesterday filed suits against satellite TV provider Dish Network, to try and squash the "Auto Hop" feature on ...

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Classical Music: SF Opera has'Attila' (and his ilk) and an eye-popping 'Magic ...
San Jose Mercury News
Kaneko's paintings at times start out as points of color placed atop the projection, which, in synch to the rhythms of the music, begin to extend into lines, forming geometric patterns to cover the background and create a dramatic frame for the singers ...

and more »

Crushable

Jay-Z Confirmed Music Chief for Willow Smith 'Annie' Remake
SPIN
by Marc Hogan Daddy Warbucks, the rumors are true: Jay-Z will be overseeing music for a remake of the musical Annie and will contribute original tracks. That's according to British actress Emma Thompson, who is writing the film, as she confirmed ...
Jay-Z writing music for 'Annie' remakeTheCelebrityCafe.com
Did Blue Ivy Inspire Jay-Z To Write New Music For The Annie Remake Starring ...Crushable
Jay-Z to Supervise Music for New Annie Movie Starring Willow SmithXXLMAG.COM
Vibe -Digital Spy UK -Gigwise
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Music Review: Samovar Russian Folk Music Ensemble - Around the Samovar ...
Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog)
ORG Around the Samovar is another hour-long set from the Russian folk music ensemble in the Washington, DC area that takes its name from the heated metal container traditionally used to heat and boil water in Russia, as well as in other locations.

and more »

Los Angeles Times

The Sunday Conversation: Pianist Mona Golabek holds on to the music
Los Angeles Times
The creator of the one-woman show 'The Pianist of Willesden Lane,' now at the Geffen Playhouse, reflects on the gift of music. Mona Gollabek's one-woman show 'The Pianist of Willesden Lane' is now at the Geffen Playhouse. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles ...

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Jakarta Globe

Is Pandora Changing the Music Industry?
DailyFinance
Sure, the music discovery giant did post a loss for the period. Applauding red ink feels a lot like asking for an encore at a concert where the band forgot to tune the instruments. Pandora also posted a slight dip in revenue sequentially, meaning that ...
Digital Notes: Pandora Revenues Grow, and Streaming Music's Global DriveNew York Times (blog)
Pandora Music grows significantlyRadio-Info.com
Listen: Pandora reports record ad revenue, 3B hours of music consumed in Q1VentureBeat
TechnoBuffalo -Investor's Business Daily
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