50 Cent, né Curtis Jackson, voit le jour dans le Queens à New York. Il connaît une enfance très difficile, sa mère décède alors qu'il n'a que 8 ans et son père l'abandonne. Elevé par sa grand-mère, 50 Cent ne choisit pas le bon chemin et se met à dealer du crack. Il traîne dans le milieu du gansgta rap, fait quelques séjours en prison jusqu'en 1996, où il rencontre feu Jam Master Jay de Run DMC, qui lui donne sa chance. 50 Cent signe ensuite sur le label Trackmasters. Il enregistre alors plusieurs singles, dont Thug Love avec les Destiny's Child, qui précède son 1er album Power of the Dollar (1999). Il replonge dans l'underground, monte le collectif G-Unit, avec qui il sort plusieurs mixtapes.
Quelques personnalités s'intéressent à son potentiel et 50 Cent devient le petit protégé d'Eminem et de Dr Dre, qui le font signer et produisent son album début 2003 Get Rich or Die Tryin. Qualifié par beaucoup de "nouveau Tupac", 50 Cent fait un carton dans les charts américains, notamment grâce aux single Wanksta (extrait de la BOF de 8 Mile) et In Da Club. En 2003, il rejoint son crew G-Unit et signe l'album Beg for Mercy.
Début 2005, 50 Cent revient avec son 2nd album solo, The Massacre, record des ventes aux USA dans la semaine de sa sortie... Au mois d'août de la même année, le rappeur sort un livre autobiographique, From Pieces to Weight : Once Upon a Time in Southside Queens. Il y raconte son enfance dans les quartiers de New York ainsi que sa fulgurante ascension.
in da club
[50 Cent]
Go, go, go, go
Go, go, go shorty
It's your birthday
We gon' party like it's yo birthday
We gon' sip Bacardi like it's yo birthday
'Cause you know we don't give a fuck
It's not your birthday!
[Chorus (2x)]
You can find me in the club, bottle full of Bud
Mama, I got that X, if you into takin' drugs
I'm into having sex, I ain't into making love
So come give me a hug if you into getting rubbed
[Verse]
When I pull out up front, you see the Benz on dubs
When I roll 20 deep, it's 20 knives in the club
Niggas heard I fuck with Dre, now they wanna show me love
When you sell like Eminem, and the hoes they wanna fuck
But homie ain't nothing change ho's down, G's up
I see Xzibit in the Cutt that nigga roll that weed up
If you watch how I move you'll mistake me for a playa or pimp
Been hit wit a few shells but I dont walk wit a limp
In the hood, in L.A. they saying "50 you hot"
They like me, I want them to love me like they love 'Pac
But holla in New York them niggas'll tell ya im loco
And the plan is to put the rap game in a choke hold
I'm feelin' focused man, my money on my mind
I got a mill out the deal and I'm still on the grind
Now shawty said she feeling my style, she feeling my flow
Her girlfriend wanna get bi and they ready to go
[Chorus (2x)]
[Bridge]
My flow, my show brought me the dough
That bought me all my fancy things
My crib, my cars, my clothes, my jewels
Look nigga i done came up and i ain't change.
[Verse]
And you should love it, way more then you hate it
Nigga you mad? I thought that you'd be happy I made it
I'm that cat by the bar toasting to the good life
You that faggot ass nigga trying to pull me back right?
When my junk get to pumpin in the club it's on
I wink my eye at ya bitch, if she smiles she gone
If the roof on fire, let the motherfucker burn
If you talking bout money homie, I ain't concerned
I'm a tell you what Banks told me cause go 'head switch the style up
If the niggas hate then let 'em hate
Watch the money pile up
Or we go upside there wit a bottle of bub
You know where we fucking be
[Chorus (2x)]
[Talking]
[Laughing] Don't try to act like you ain't know where we been either nigga
In the club all the time nigga, its about to pop off nigga
