50 Cent is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, and actor, whose rise to fame and fortune is an incredible story. Born Curtis James Jackson III on July 6, 1975, in a very poor and dangerous neighborhood in Queens, NY, his mother, Sabrina, was only 15 at the time of his birth; sadly, she reverted to dealing drugs to support her child and was mysteriously murdered when the boy was only eight. Curtis moved in with his grandparents, but spent most of his remaining youth dealing drugs, which made him a lot of money, but also landed him in jail, where his dream about making a career in music was born. After his release, he adopted his stage name "50 Cent" to reflect the change he was making with his life, and he began to record original Rap music. Somehow in 2000, he survived being shot nine times; then through sheer determination, he continued to record and in 2002 he collaborated with rappers Eminem and Dr. Dre to rapidly rise to fame with the release in 2003 of his album, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'," which has been certified platinum eight times, and "The Massacre," in 2005. Arising from a life of drugs and crime to become one of the biggest artists on the planet, his journey, as we see here, is an inspiration.