50 Cent's Real Name: Curtis James Jackson III

Quick answer: 50 Cent was born Curtis James Jackson III on July 6, 1975, and grew up in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York. The rapper broke through with Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003) and its No. 1 single "In Da Club," then built a business and TV career that includes producing and acting in Power (Britannica; Library of Congress).

Real name and early life

Britannica gives his original name as Curtis James Jackson III. The Library of Congress name authority files him as "50 Cent (Musician)," with variants including "Fifty Cent (Musician)" and "Cent, 50 (Musician)." One LOC citation reads "Curtis James Jackson III (b. July 6, 1975), better known by his stage name 50 Cent." Another gives 1976, but Britannica and the fuller LOC citations use 1975.

Britannica says his mother, Sabrina Jackson, was a single parent. She was killed when he was eight, and her killer has never been identified. He then lived with his maternal grandparents. Britannica reports that by 12 he was selling drugs while telling his grandparents he was at an after-school program.

At 24 he was shot nine times outside his grandmother's house. By then he was already making music as 50 Cent. Britannica says he took the name from a deceased Brooklyn criminal and also thought it would be easy to remember. After the shooting, Columbia Records dropped him and shelved his first album, Power of the Dollar.

Career highlights

He went on to lead the rap collective G-Unit. His mixtape compilation Guess Who's Back? (2002) caught the attention of Eminem and Dr. Dre, and that year he signed with their Shady and Aftermath labels. Get Rich or Die Tryin' sold 6 million copies within a year and was the best-selling album of 2003. "In Da Club" topped the Billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks, and the album brought five Grammy nominations.

The Massacre (2005), Curtis (2007), and Before I Self Destruct (2009) followed. In 2010 he won the Grammy for best rap performance by a duo or group for "Crack a Bottle," with Eminem and Dr. Dre. Britannica notes that his lyrics drew criticism for their portrayal of women, which he has defended as reflecting real life.

After leaving Interscope in 2014, he released Animal Ambition through his G-Unit label. He produced and acted in Starz's Power (2014–20) and executive produced BMF. His films include Southpaw (2015) and Den of Thieves (2018). He has written books including The 50th Law (2009), with Robert Greene, and in 2025 produced the Netflix docuseries Sean Combs: The Reckoning.

Name notes for searchers

50 Cent is a stage name; Curtis Jackson is the name he uses in business and on producing credits. Library records also file him as "Fifty Cent."