Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), better known by his stage name
50 Cent, is an American rapper, singer, entrepreneur, investor and actor from
New York City. Born in the
South Jamaica neighborhood of the
borough of
Queens, Jackson began selling drugs at age twelve during the 1980s
crack epidemic. Although he left drug-dealing to pursue a musical career, he was struck by nine bullets in a 2000 shooting. After Jackson released the compilation album
Guess Who's Back? in 2002, he was discovered by
Eminem and signed by
Shady Records,
Aftermath Entertainment and
Interscope Records.