Jackson was born and raised in South Jamaica, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. His mother Sabrina, a drug dealer, died in a fire when he was 8. Since his father had already abandoned the family, young Curtis was sent to live with his grandparents. Growing up during the crack epidemic of the 80s and 90s, Jackson dealt drugs when he wasn't "killing time" at school or boxing at a local gym. His grandparents assumed he was at after-school programs when he was out selling crack. In tenth grade, Jackson was caught with guns and drug money passing through the metal detectors at Andrew Jackson High School in Queens. In 1994, Jackson was arrested again for selling vials of cocaine to an undercover officer, and three weeks later he was arrested yet-again after police found heroin, crack cocaine, and a starter pistol in his home. Jackson was sentenced to 3 to 9 years in prison, but opted to join a 6 month boot camp program and get his GED. Around this time, Jackson began going by "50 Cent," inspired by deceased Brooklyn stick-up man Kelvin "50 Cent" Martin.
After leaving drug dealing to pursue a rap career, he released his debut album Guess Who's Back Again in 2002. He was discovered by Eminem and Dr. Dre and then signed to Interscope Records. He has since released Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003), The Massacre (2006), Curtis (2007) and Before I Self Destruct (2009).
50 Cent has engaged in feuds with other rappers including Jay-Z, Ja Rule, The Game, Cam'ron, Fat Joe, and 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 is one of the richest hip-hop performers, having a net worth estimated at US $440 million in 2008.
Before 50 Cent ever inked a major deal, he built up a substantial fan base in New York through underground mixtapes. 50 Cent met up with Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC and was signed to his label to write all of Jay’s music. After he’d left JMJ, he signed to Columbia Records in 1996. On this label, he released Power of the Dollar, and the singles How to Rob and Ghetto Qua Ran. Columbia Records released him from the label after being shot on May 24th, 2000.
Around this time, Eminem had heard one of 50 Cent’s demo tapes and expressed a huge interest in him on MTV, as did Dr. Dre. Shortly after this, 50 Cent officially signed to Interscope Records. He was the first rapper to sign to the joint label owned by Dr. Dre and Eminem. The first song he released on this record was entitled Wanksta and was featured on the 8 Mile soundtrack.
In its first week of release, his debut ”Get Rich Or Die Tryin’” sold 872,000 units - easily reaching Gold status. Within the second week it went Platinum (1 mil) and on April 12th, 2004 the RIAA certified it six times Platinum.
In 2005 he followed the success of his album Get Rich or Die Tryin’ with a new release - The Massacre (originally called St. Valentines Day Massacre until the release date was pushed back). The first single released off this, Disco Inferno, was a huge hit - he followed this hit up by the release of Candy Shop and then again with Just a Lil Bit.
In 2003 Interscope Records allowed 50 Cent to have his own label - G-Unit Records. He first signed Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo and Young Buck as the established members of G-Unit Records. In 2004, Dr. Dre and 50 Cent had signed The Game under a joint venture.
The Funeral
50 Cent Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Flowers, a funeral service, a kid's in the coffin
It sound so familiar, don't it happen so often?
The shoot-out shit happens, the sister read the eulogy
Couldn't help but think 'nigga better you than me'
.38 ain't got no safety, that bullet ain't got a name on it
But it's hard to miss when that thing got a beam on it
The glass at the store front, we forgot God was watching
Run, run, hit the gate, D's yelling "drop it"
Niggas getting jammed up, better that than a jammed up
His momma said a few words to her, he was innocent
She might have heard he did some shit, but never saw no benefits
So in her eyes, he's mommy's little baby
But he was outside talking to niggas crazy
In a room full of people came to pay their respect
I just came in to get a close look at nigga to check
That nigga dead as a doorknob, stiff as a nail
And my man, tomorrow he gon' get out of jail
Ror, trust me nigga I know the law
Release on your own recognizance, that bullshit I'm on it
That's his first taste, I mean his first case
Got knocked with the strap, but not the one that clapped
This nigga here we still got that, yeah
First law in my hood is show no fear
Him and love was closer than we thought, that nigga in here crying
Oh shit, in the store, he probably passed him the iron
These some grimy ass niggas, full breed vultures
Trying to come up, still eating around roaches
Cookie Crisp, Captain Crunch, breakfast of the champions
Lucky charms, stay armed, niggas won't clap you in
We watch the side bitch talking like she a main bitch
His wifey just sat there, preachers weren't saying shit
Right jab, left hook, hand full of weave
This type shit a nigga got to see to believe
These bitches acting up in here
Police they don't fucking care
Homicides snooping around of them, we all with the shit
Cousin back from college saying he gon' get who did this shit
He a ball player nigga, nigga better play ball
You play with the wrong niggas we gon' get to letting off
I done seen enough, feel like it's time for me to split
Hit the parking lot, chill where the weed is lit
Twist the cap, pour out a little liquor
All the theatrics, you know, like that was my nigga
We all can't win, some of us got to lose
Envision a lil' dog barking at a pack of wolves
'Cause that's what happened, yeah yeah, that's what happened
He just went on and on till niggas started attacking
Acting like he was the only motherfucker packing
50 bars of pleasure, 50 bars of pain
When I'm dead and I'm gone niggas will remember the name
It's 50
Yeah yeah, yeah yeah
50 bars of pleasure, 50 bars of pain
When I'm dead and I'm gone niggas will remember the name
It's 50
Yeah yeah, yeah
In "The Funeral," 50 Cent provides a raw and visceral account of street violence and the cycle of revenge that often ensues. The verses describe a funeral service for a young boy who has been shot and killed, likely as a result of gang violence. While the sister reads the eulogy, 50 Cent reflects on how violence like this has become all too familiar, with shoot-outs and deaths occurring regularly in his community. He also touches upon the idea that a moment of choice separates those who live and those who die, with the bullets that kill people often being random and without a name on them.
Moving beyond the funeral service itself, 50 Cent's verses delve into the aftermath of the killing. As police arrive on the scene and people scramble for safety, the harsh realities of street life are revealed. Family members are torn between love for their deceased relative and the anger and frustration of knowing that they played a role in their own death. Meanwhile, other attendees at the funeral are plotting revenge and talking up their own toughness. Throughout the song, 50 Cent's lyrics emphasize the futility of violence and the need for people to break the cycle of revenge if they ever hope to achieve true peace and safety.
Interesting Facts:
Line by Line Meaning
Boy you forgot my style
You seem to be forgetting how I operate
Flowers, a funeral service, a kid's in the coffin
It's the same old story: flower arrangements, a funeral service, and a young child in the casket
It sound so familiar, don't it happen so often?
The situations we find ourselves in seem all too common, doesn't it?
The shoot-out shit happens, the sister read the eulogy
Gun violence is a frequent occurrence and now someone's relative has to give the eulogy
Couldn't help but think 'nigga better you than me'
I can't help but think that I'm glad it's not me in that casket
.38 ain't got no safety, that bullet ain't got a name on it
The gun doesn't have a safety and the bullet isn't picky about who it hits
But it's hard to miss when that thing got a beam on it
The shooting is precise with the use of a laser sight
First shot, pop off, everybody popping shots
The first shot is fired, then everyone starts shooting at each other
The glass at the store front, we forgot God was watching
We shot so recklessly we didn't even think about the damage to the store front and how it looks to a higher power
Run, run, hit the gate, D's yelling 'drop it'
We run away from the scene of the crime, police are ordering us to put our weapons down
Niggas getting jammed up, better that than a jammed up
Some of us are getting arrested, but it's better to be behind bars than dead
His momma said a few words to her, he was innocent
The deceased's mother claims her son was innocent and did not deserve to die
She might have heard he did some shit, but never saw no benefits
She may have heard rumors that her son was involved in illegal activity, but never saw any profit from it
So in her eyes, he's mommy's little baby
To the mother of the deceased, he will always be her baby boy
But he was outside talking to niggas crazy
He may have acted tough and spoken aggressively outside with his friends
In a room full of people came to pay their respect
Many people came to the funeral to pay their respects to the deceased
I just came in to get a close look at nigga to check
I came to the funeral to get a closer look at the deceased and check out the situation
That nigga dead as a doorknob, stiff as a nail
The deceased is obviously dead and inanimate
And my man, tomorrow he gon' get out of jail
One of our associates is getting released from jail tomorrow
Ror, trust me nigga I know the law
Trust me, I know the law and how to deal with it
Release on your own recognizance, that bullshit I'm on it
I'm working on getting our associate released from jail without bail
That's his first taste, I mean his first case
Our associate's arrest is his first encounter with the law
Got knocked with the strap, but not the one that clapped
Our associate was arrested with a gun, but not the one that was used in the shooting
This nigga here we still got that, yeah
We still have the gun that was used in the shooting
First law in my hood is show no fear
The first rule of my neighborhood is to never show fear
Him and love was closer than we thought, that nigga in here crying
The deceased and his significant other were closer than we realized, and she is now crying at the funeral
Oh shit, in the store, he probably passed him the iron
Oh no, the deceased may have received the gun from someone else in the store
These some grimy ass niggas, full breed vultures
The people involved in this kind of criminal activity are ruthless and opportunistic
Trying to come up, still eating around roaches
They're trying to make it big in the criminal world, but still living in poverty
Cookie Crisp, Captain Crunch, breakfast of the champions
Cereal like Cookie Crisp and Captain Crunch are the breakfast of champions in my neighborhood
Lucky charms, stay armed, niggas won't clap you in
If you stay armed and ready for any situation, people won't try to kill you
We watch the side bitch talking like she a main bitch
We observe the mistress talking like she's the main woman in his life
His wifey just sat there, preachers weren't saying shit
The deceased's wife sat silently and unresponsive during the funeral service and the preachers didn't say anything helpful
Right jab, left hook, hand full of weave
The physical fight that broke out during the funeral was intense and violent
This type shit a nigga got to see to believe
You have to witness this kind of event to truly understand it
These bitches acting up in here
The women in attendance are causing trouble and tension
Police they don't fucking care
The police don't care about the community and the violence that occurs here
Homicides snooping around of them, we all with the shit
The police are investigating the homicide and we are all involved in the crime
Cousin back from college saying he gon' get who did this shit
Our cousin who is back from college claims he is going to find and punish those responsible
He a ball player nigga, nigga better play ball
Our cousin may be a successful athlete, but he needs to stay in his lane and not get involved in our criminal activity
You play with the wrong niggas we gon' get to letting off
If you mess with us, we will retaliate and start shooting
I done seen enough, feel like it's time for me to split
I've seen enough and it's time for me to leave
Hit the parking lot, chill where the weed is lit
I'm going to the parking lot where I can relax and smoke some weed
Twist the cap, pour out a little liquor
I pour out some liquor as a sign of respect for the deceased
All the theatrics, you know, like that was my nigga
All of the dramatic displays of emotion at the funeral are overwhelming, as if the deceased were my closest friend
We all can't win, some of us got to lose
Not everyone can come out on top, some of us have to suffer losses
Envision a lil' dog barking at a pack of wolves
Someone who is small and weak trying to stand up to those who are much larger and more powerful
'Cause that's what happened, yeah yeah, that's what happened
That is the situation I observed today, that's exactly what happened
He just went on and on till niggas started attacking
Someone kept pushing until others retaliated with force
Acting like he was the only motherfucker packing
Someone was acting like they were the only one carrying a gun, but that's obviously not true
50 bars of pleasure, 50 bars of pain
I rap about both positive and negative experiences in my life
When I'm dead and I'm gone niggas will remember the name
Even after I'm gone, people will remember who I am
It's 50
It's me, 50 Cent
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CURTIS JAMES JACKSON, JACOB BRIAN DUTTON, GEORGE III CLINTON, WILLIAM EARL COLLINS, BERNARD WORRELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daym Drops
50 is warming up the Defibulator on sons with this track! GET EM'!!
Devilman
ghetto grocery bag 🎶
Ny-Ty Lekker
Hood classic
Dr. Rick
Daym you a real one!😂💪
Saints Gun
50 cent is a prime example of making good rap music without the need for crazy metaphors. This is storytelling. It's the musical equivalent of an audio book. 50 can RAP point blank period.
Martin Mook
His story telling got him shot, I don't blame him for laying low, and popping off on twitter.
Wat Techno Tambor
@Martin Mook Wasn't Ghetto Quran that got him shot
keith /keef
@Martin Mook popping off on Twitter? Twitter wasn't invented until like 10 years after he got shot😂💯. He dissed the supreme team/ the guys who got him shot. His g.r.o.d trying album he dissed them. Before social media. Go listen to. Get the message. He dissed the king pin himself. Daring him to a shootout basically. Where u get this info from
Martin Mook
@keith /keef popping off on twitter is all he does these days, not when he was coming up.
Joshua Musau
50's such an under rated poet. This story telling is at such a whole different level from your typical rappers