50 Cent

Although Curtis owes a lot to his grandmother, the woman could not accommodate his expensive tastes. Young 50 soon took up drug dealing himself to afford the things he wanted. He told Newsweek magazine, "I became two people-- one was the hard-core drug dealer in the day and the other was my grandmother's baby by night."

Growing up, Curtis was in and out jail and unable to finish school. Still, he managed to earn his GED. During the same time, Curtis became a father. He has said that the birth of his son motivated him to become a serious rapper.

50 Cent's Career

50 Cent at 2006 Cannes Film Festival

After a short stint with the label JMJ, 50 Cent signed with Columbia records. His first single, "How to Rob," made a splash in the hip-hop world, in more ways than one. Fans embraced the unique style and comical words, but the lyrics made enemies in the industry. The song tells of a young, hungry rapper fantasizing about "robbing" stars. Although 50 has repeatedly insisted that the tune is a joke, stars such as Jay-Z, Sticky Fingaz, Big Pun, and Ghostface Killah weren't laughing. This began an ongoing feud with Jay-Z.

Soon after, 50's hardliving style caught up with him, and he was shot nine times. The shooting occured outside his grandmothers home, with his young child inside. Fiddy took one bullet to the face and spent months recuperating in the hospital. At times it looked as though he would never rap again, and Columbia dropped him. After a startling recovery, the young rapper once again got to work and caught the attention of Eminem and Dr. Dre. Sensing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, 50 Cent signed with the hip-hop legends. Under their tutelage, 50 was on a rapid rise to the top, even appearing on the 8 Mile soundtrack.

Scandal and Controversy

2005 Spike TV Video Game Awards

Despite his commercial success, 50 Cent made few friends in the industry. He has been quite vocal about criticizing other artists, even accusing Ja Rule of singing instead of rapping. Fiddy was also accused of stealing from Ja Rule, and that led to 50 being stabbed. He also has ongoing feuds with The Game, Jadakiss, Nas, and Fat Joe. At one point, the controversial star was suspected by industry insiders as being a police informant.

Even his love life has been scandalous. Fiddy briefly dated actress Vivica A. Fox, and later accused her of using him for publicity. "It really seemed like she was using me to get attention," he told Newsweek. "I'm not sure it was intentional, but we'd go out and all of a sudden there would be photographers there, as if on cue."

His Good Side

No one is entirely bad, and 50 has his good side, too. For example, he sets firm limits on his endorsement deals, refusing to offer his name to liquor companies. "I don't drink," he explained. "I grew up around alcoholics. Why would I drink?"

He also remains lovingly devoted to his grandmother, and recently bought her a new house.