50 Cent’s Rise to Fame: Getting Shot 9 Times and Having to Sacrifice His Relationship With His Firstborn

American rapper 50 Cent made it big at a time when 'gangsta rap' was still hot on the music scene. From being shot in the face as an up-and-coming artist to eventually making it and wearing many hats as a rapper and successful TV producer, 50 Cent has walked a difficult road to secure superstar status.

The iconic artist celebrated his 47th birthday on the 6th of July, and to pay tribute, Legit.ng compiled this list of interesting facts about the OG rapper.

50 Cent grew up dealing drugs; that's how he got his name!

Curtis James Jackson III was born in South Jamaica in 1975. The island boy has never been shy about his complicated upbringing in the neighbourhood of Queens. Fun fact, the small community is actually also the birthplace of some of the best performers Hollywood has to offer, including rappers Nicki Minaj and Lloyd Banks.

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The P.I.M.P hitmaker's mom, by that time, had embraced her identity as an openly lesbian woman. She was also a known drug dealer in the area, and her son grew up around the gritty realities of getting by at any cost. When Fiddy was just 8 years old, he lost his mom to a horrific house fire. By then, his dad had long been out of the picture.

Stepping up to take care of the orphaned youngster was Curtis' grandmother. She took care of the little boy, but when granny wasn't looking, Fiddy spent his time doing some serious crimes.

At just 12 years old, the future rap star was dealing crack and other narcotics from his bedroom. At 19 years old, he was arrested for the possession of these narcotic drugs and a dangerous pistol. He spent 6-months in a Bootcamp and finally finished his high school education.

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Explaining his name

Opening up about his stage name, 50 Cent always told fans it was a metaphor for his willingness to do whatever it takes to survive, even scraping by on the small pieces of change that others often overlook.

CBS News reports that the rapper was also inspired by a gangster living in his neighbourhood:

"Originally it was a gangster from Fort Greene Projects named 50 Cent and I took the name when he passed," he told the publication.

He's been shot in the face

Just 2 years before his big break in the music industry, 50 Cent went through the ordeal of a lifetime. In the year 2000, the young rapper was working on his debut project titled Power of the Dollar when a gunman approached his grandmother's home in Jamaica.

The attackers demanded jewellery and other valuables from the home, with 50 Cents granny and son still inside the home. The details get sketchy from here, but it's alleged the rapper was forced into the backseat of a getaway car before a gunman fired nine bullets his way.

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The bullets shot him in the hand, arm, hip, both legs, chest, and left cheek.

Sharing the gruelling experience in a tell-all interview with iconic TV host Oprah Winfrey, BBC reports that the rapper says his rage at the situation got him through it:

"Going through that experience, when you get hurt that bad, either your fear consumes you or you become a bit insensitive," he said.

"There was a point where I was afraid... and then in the recovery process, I got tired of being afraid. The only way to cover those emotions was to be a bit more aggressive. And to be angry about the situation opposed to how I was actually feeling at that point," the rapper added.

And even though the injuries and recovery process were a lot for the young star to overcome, many fans have credited the incident for making 50 Cent as big an artist as he is. For them, it's added 'authenticity' to the gangster rap that he's become so famous for.

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"I didn’t think success would cost me my firstborn": He has a rocky relationship with his son

Family fallouts are nothing new where fame and lots of money are involved. Unfortunately, 50 Cent has had a seriously strained relationship with his eldest son, Marquise, since the rapper split from his son's mother, Shaniqua Thompkins, in 2008.

Since their split, Fiddy is reported to have paid a whopping $1.36 million( R21 million) in child support for the 23-year-old. He's also accused his son of an unhealthy entitlement he believes is being fuelled by his "jealous" mother, Metro UK reports.

"It’s no such thing as success without jealousy, without envy or entitlement… His mum developed an entitlement that cannot be met, filtering that energy through his actual personal interests…," he said during an Instagram Live interview with The Shade Room.

The rapper also said he was unhappy with Marquise after giving him some money for a pair of shoes he had asked for. The willing father says he bought the shoes but was still met with a poor attitude:

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"So, while being a privileged child, he feels deprived. You had everything I didn’t have," he added.

Eedris Abdulkareem revisits saga with 50 Cent

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Eedris Abdulkareem went down memory lane to explain what really caused his fight with American rapper, 50 Cent.

Eedris said that the organisers of the show the American artiste was to perform at played him and turned the rapper against him.

In his live chat with Samklef, he also called out popular human right activists, Festus Keyanmo and Charley Boy for betraying him.

Source: Briefly.co.za