50 Cent began his rapping career studying under Jay Master Jay from Run DMC, signing on with his label in the late 1990's. He then went on to sign on with Colombia Records in 2000 and recorded his first full length album, 'Power of the Dollar'. Unfortunately, in May of 2000, 50 Cent was shot three times in a drive-by style shooting. It is widely stated that he was shot nine times, though this is an exaggeration; he was shot at nine times and hit three times. Though not critically wounded, the incident won him enough attention to scare Colombia Records into dropping his deal without ever releasing the album.
After meeting with fellow rap stars Eminem and Dr. Dre, 50 Cent signed on with Eminem's label Aftermath/Shady & Interscope. With Eminem and Dr. Dre's backing, 50 Cent released his first major album, 'Get Rich Quick or Die Tryin'', in 2003. The album was an enormous success, going nearly platinum in the first week, breaking records for the most units ever sold in a first week. In March of 2005, 50 Cent released his 2nd album, 'The Massacre', which has also been highly successful.
50 Cent now has his own record label, 'G-Unit Records'. With the endorsement of popular rappers like Eminem and Dr. Dre, a large underground following, and the actual experience of having been involved in the kinds of violent crimes that are the subject of his music, 50 Cent is already an icon in the rap music industry and will likely remain as such for years to come.
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