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 Jayβs music. After heβd 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 Centβs 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 βGet Rich Or Die Tryinββ 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 Tryinβ 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.
When You Hear That!
50 Cent Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
[50 Cent:] You want some of this?
[Chorus: 50 Cent]
When you hear that... [gun cocking]
Nigga its on
When you hear that... [gun cocking]
It could be in the late night or in the morn
Shells will bend your ass up word is born
When you hear that... [gun cocking]
Nigga its on
When you hear that... [gun cocking]
You better be gone
It could be in the late night or in the morn
Shells will bend your ass up word is born
[Verse 1: 50 Cent]
You say you a shooter nobody believes you
I don't say i'm a shooter I just shoot if I need to
Gat bust
Adrenaline rush
High off dust
Rap tycoon
Mossberg boom
Nigga I go through ya whole set
I come through ya hood bumpin' Bobby Womack
Old school, new school
Nigga don't move
I run up right behind your ass lightin' up the tool
Nigga what?
[Chorus: 50 Cent]
When you hear that... [gun cocking]
Nigga its on
When you hear that... [gun cocking]
You better be gone
It could be in the late night or in the morn
Shells will bend your ass up word is born
When you hear that... [gun cocking]
Nigga its on
When you hear that... [gun cocking]
You better be gone
It could be in the late night or in the morn
Shells will bend your ass up word is born
[Tony Yayo:]
Yeah nigga
50 nigga
You know what time it is
The Talk Of New York
[Verse 2: Tony Yayo]
I'm like a Mexican drug lord my cash come quicker
I'm sittin' on bricks like a Columbian nigga
Movin' Coke alot of that white shit
On the Amtrak comin' back with this dyke chick
And this white bitch
Man I just bought a nice whip
Chi Chi get that Yayo homie toss that brick
They lovin' my product
They fiendin' to buy it
Man I got these fiends gettin' skinny like Bohemian Diets
Po Po they creep pass
Man I peep task
They lookin' at my face cause I shoot like Steve Nash
The Llama in the truck
Baby mama baggin' up
Got Medina in the cut
So these fiends ballin' up
[Chorus: 50 Cent]
When you hear that... [gun cocking]
Nigga its on
When you hear that... [gun cocking]
You better be gone
It could be in the late night or in the morn
Shells will bend your ass up word is born
When you hear that... [gun cocking]
Nigga its on
When you hear that... [gun cocking]
You better be gone
It could be in the late night or in the morn
Shells will bend your ass up word is born
[50 Cent:]
You hear that boy Yayo
Ah man
Its crazy
You just 'gon give 'em that for free?
Ah man
I'm puttin' this shit out man
Tony Yayo man...
2nd quarter
AH!
The song "When You Hear That!" is a hardcore gangster rap song by 50 Cent featuring Tony Yayo. The lyrics describe the violent and dangerous life that is associated with being a gangster. The main theme of the song is that when you hear the sound of a gun cocking, it means that someone is about to get killed, and you better be gone if you don't want to be the victim. The verses are filled with references to guns, drugs, and violence, all of which are common themes in gangster rap. The chorus, which is repeated twice, reinforces the idea that when you hear that sound, you better be ready to defend yourself.
The first verse by 50 Cent describes him as a shooter who doesn't need to boast about his abilities. He claims to get a rush of adrenaline every time he pulls the trigger and is high off dust. He warns his enemies that he can take out their whole crew if he wants to and he does not discriminate between old school and new school. The second verse by Tony Yayo is equally violent and talks about moving bricks of cocaine and how he shoots like Steve Nash. He also talks about his ability to evade the police and how he keeps his stash hidden from everyone.
Overall, the song is not meant to be taken seriously and is a tongue-in-cheek look at the gangster lifestyle. The lyrics are filled with profanity and graphic descriptions of violence that are not suitable for all audiences.
Line by Line Meaning
You want some of this?
Do you want to engage in this violent lifestyle with me?
When you hear that... [gun cocking] Nigga its on When you hear that... [gun cocking] You better be gone It could be in the late night or in the morn Shells will bend your ass up word is born
If you hear the sound of a gun being cocked, you better run because I will shoot you any time, day or night. It's my word.
You say you a shooter nobody believes you I don't say i'm a shooter I just shoot if I need to Gat bust Adrenaline rush High off dust Rap tycoon Mossberg boom Nigga I go through ya whole set
You claim to be skilled in shooting but no one believes you. I don't flash my skills, I just shoot when I have to. I feel an adrenaline rush and get high after doing so. I am a successful rapper who also knows how to handle a Mossberg gun. I can easily take down anyone in your group.
I come through ya hood bumpin' Bobby Womack Old school, new school Nigga don't move I run up right behind your ass lightin' up the tool Nigga what?
I drive through your neighborhood with loud music from a mix of Bobby Womack's old and new songs. If you try to run, I am quick to shoot you from behind. What are you going to do about it?
Yeah nigga 50 nigga You know what time it is The Talk Of New York
I am Tony Yayo, and I am with 50 Cent. We are the talk of New York and everyone knows who we are.
I'm like a Mexican drug lord my cash come quicker I'm sittin' on bricks like a Columbian nigga Movin' Coke alot of that white shit On the Amtrak comin' back with this dyke chick And this white bitch
I have a lot of cash coming in like a Mexican drug lord. I am wealthy and can afford to sit on stacks of bricks of cocaine like a Columbian drug lord. I am constantly trafficking cocaine and other drugs, specifically a lot of cocaine. I am coming back from a drug run on the Amtrak train with two women, one of whom is a lesbian dyke.
Man I just bought a nice whip Chi Chi get that Yayo homie toss that brick They lovin' my product They fiendin' to buy it Man I got these fiends gettin' skinny like Bohemian Diets Po Po they creep pass Man I peep task They lookin' at my face cause I shoot like Steve Nash The Llama in the truck Baby mama baggin' up Got Medina in the cut So these fiends ballin' up
I just bought a nice car while instructing Chi Chi to throw the cocaine brick. People are enjoying my cocaine product and becoming addicted to it, losing weight rapidly like a Bohemian diet. Police pass by me, but I am cautious and alert. They pay attention to me because I am skilled at shooting, like Steve Nash's basketball skills. I have a gun in the truck and my baby mama is packing up drugs. Medina is tucked away in a secret location so my drug users can come get high without being caught by police.
You hear that boy Yayo Ah man Its crazy You just 'gon give 'em that for free? Ah man I'm puttin' this shit out man Tony Yayo man... 2nd quarter AH!
Wow, Tony Yayo really has some good stuff on this track. Are you seriously going to give it away for free? That's insane. I'm going to distribute the song because Tony Yayo is really talented. It's going to be released in the second quarter. Yeah!
Contributed by Alice S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Red Ranger
These g unit mixtapes were craaaacckkkk
Black Mask
*Are Crack
thaistomp
@Black Mask fax
βπβπ πβπΎππ
Mixtape π
Micah B.
I remember "The Massacre" leaking and it was actually this mixtape. Was pleasantly surprised, and I still bump these joints
Jonathan Enriquez
I used to have this mixtape back in 6 grade π₯π₯π₯
Ducky Hines
50 killed this shit
Kervin Edouard
This is Kanan the character rapping flow !π―π¦π§¨
J M
Back at the top of 2005. I was waiting for the massacre album and asked my friend to see if he can download it for me early if its out, and he got the this mixtape which I was more than pleased with, along with a couple of leaks if I remember correctly. I even added 2050 to the end of my email address for msn rather than 2005. I was in Year 11 the last year of high school thinking I was hot shit and most people thought id typo'd my email addy smh haha.
Clive Clivington
cd changed a lot in 05', the yayo tape after this one was good too