Curtis James Jackson III, known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, television producer, businessman, and record executive. Born in South Jamaica, a neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 1996. In 1999–2000, he recorded his debut album Power of the Dollar for Columbia Records; however, he was struck by nine bullets during a shooting in May 2000, causing its release to be cancelled and Jackson to be dropped from the label. His 2002 mixtape, Guess Who's Back? was discovered by Detroit rapper Eminem, who signed Jackson to his label Shady Records, an imprint of Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records that same year.
"Wanksta" is a song by American rapper 50 Cent, released on November 5, 2002, as the third single from the soundtrack to the film 8 Mile (2002). The single, produced by Sha Money XL and John "J-Praize" Freeman, reached number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song originally appeared on 50 Cent's mixtape No Mercy, No Fear, released in August 2002.
G-Unit was an American hip hop group formed by longtime friends and East Coast rappers 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks. After amassing a string of self-released mixtapes in the early 2000s, the group released their debut album Beg for Mercy in 2003, which went on to ship over four million copies in the US and was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Christopher Charles Lloyd, better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper. He began his career as a member of East Coast hip hop group G-Unit, which he formed with childhood friends 50 Cent and Tony Yayo in 1999. After the release of their debut album Beg for Mercy (2003), Banks released his debut solo album, The Hunger for More (2004) the following year. Met with critical and commercial success, it peaked atop the Billboard 200 and spawned the Billboard Hot 100-top ten single, "On Fire", as well as the top 20 single "Karma". His second album, Rotten Apple (2006) peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and saw mixed reviews. Banks then left Interscope Records and signed with EMI in 2010—along with his G-Unit cohorts—to release his third album, H.F.M. 2 in November that year, which saw a critical rebound and peaked at number 26 on the chart.
David Darnell Brown, better known by his stage name Young Buck, is an American rapper. He signed with Birdman's Cash Money Records in 1997, formed the hip hop collective UTP with Juvenile and Soulja Slim in 2000, and joined 50 Cent's group, G-Unit by 2003. He signed with the latter's parent label, G-Unit Records, an imprint of Interscope Records to release his debut studio album Straight Outta Cashville (2004) and its follow-up Buck the World (2007), both of which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and were met with critical praise.
Jayceon Terrell Taylor, better known by his stage name the Game or simply Game, is an American rapper. Born in Compton, California, he initially released a series of mixtapes under the wing of fellow West Coast rapper JT the Bigga Figga. After releasing his debut album Untold Story independently in 2004, he was discovered by record producer Dr. Dre and signed to his Aftermath Records label imprint. The Game rose to fame in 2005 following the release of his major-label debut album The Documentary, which peaked the Billboard 200 along with its 2006 follow-up, Doctor's Advocate. The former album received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and two Grammy Award nominations—Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for its single, "Hate It or Love It".
Shady Records is an American record label founded by rapper Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg in 1999, following the commercially successful release of The Slim Shady LP that same year. The label's name comes from the last name of Eminem's alter ego, Slim Shady.
G-Unit Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group. Founded in 2003 by rapper 50 Cent, the label was operated by Interscope Records until February 2014. Thereafter, distribution of G-Unit operated under Caroline Records and Capitol Music Group. The label had also launched the subsidiary label G-Note Records, which caters to R&B and pop. The label's flagship artist is its founder 50 Cent, as well as the label's namesake group of which was formed prior.
M.O.P. is an American hip-hop duo composed of rappers Billy Danze and Lil' Fame, best known for their biggest hit in the year 2000 with the song "Ante Up." The group has frequently collaborated with DJ Premier. The group is part of the Gang Starr Foundation. Fame sometimes produces under the moniker Fizzy Womack, and has produced tracks on every M.O.P. release since 1996's Firing Squad. He has also worked for other artists, including Kool G Rap and Wu-Tang Clan.
"So Seductive" is a song by Tony Yayo as the first single from his debut album Thoughts of a Predicate Felon (2005), it features guest vocals from 50 Cent, and was produced by Punch, who helped write the song along with Tony Yayo and 50 Cent. Released following a highly publicized campaign by G-Unit, to release Tony Yayo from prison prior to the song's release, "So Seductive" is an uptempo "club banger" containing elements of string instruments and a repetitive bassline in its instrumentation. The song received little promotion from Tony Yayo at the time of its release, as he was still under house arrest following the end of his prison sentence, although he has since performed the song during various live performances.
The discography of G-Unit, an American hip hop group, consists of two studio albums, two extended plays (EP), one soundtrack album, 43 mixtapes and 10 singles. Music videos and collaborations are also included.
American rapper 50 Cent has released five studio albums, ten mixtapes, two video albums, four compilation albums, two soundtrack album, 76 singles, and 88 music videos. As of July 2014, he is the sixth best-selling hip-hop artist of the Nielsen SoundScan era with 16,786,000 albums sold in the US. 50 Cent signed to Shady Records in 2002 and released his debut studio album, Get Rich or Die Tryin', on February 6, 2003. The album peaked at number one in the US Billboard 200 and performed well in international markets. It features the number-one singles "In da Club" and "21 Questions" and also includes the singles "P.I.M.P." and "If I Can't". 50 Cent collaborated with American rapper Lil' Kim on "Magic Stick", which peaked at number two in the US.
Get Rich or Die Tryin' is the debut studio album by American rapper 50 Cent. It was released on February 6, 2003, by Interscope Records, Eminem's Shady Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, and 50 Cent's G-Unit Records. After signing with Eminem, 50 Cent also worked heavily with Dr. Dre acting as the album's executive producers, who worked to combine the gangsta rap and R&B combo prevalent in New York hip hop. Additional production is provided by Mike Elizondo, Sha Money XL, Mr. Porter, Rockwilder, Dirty Swift, Megahertz, and more.
"Best Friend" is a song by American rapper 50 Cent released as a bonus track on the soundtrack of the film Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005). A remix version featuring singer Olivia was released as a single.
This is the discography of Tony Yayo, an American rapper.
God's Plan is the third mixtape by hip hop group G-Unit, released on November 1, 2002. Originally released independently as a free mixtape, it was re-released in 2006 by BCD Music Group. The remix of Missy Elliott's song "Work It", from her album Under Construction, which features 50 Cent, is included in the mixtape. Also the track "Niggas" featuring 2 verses from The Notorious B.I.G. from his posthumous album, Born Again, on the song of the same name was featured on the soundtrack of the film Bad Boys II in 2003. The World's verse was used in the remix to "Cry Me a River" by Justin Timberlake.
Marvin Bernard, better known by his stage name Tony Yayo, is an American rapper. He was best known as a member of G-Unit, a hip hop group he formed with his childhood friends, 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks. Yayo released his debut studio album, Thoughts of a Predicate Felon, on August 30, 2005, which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. After eighteen years of not releasing a sophomore follow-up, due to his association with G-Unit and later disbandment of the group in 2022, Yayo returned with The Loyal Mixtape, which released on February 10, 2023.
Beg for Mercy is the debut studio album by G-Unit. The album was released on November 14, 2003, nine months after 50 Cent's successful debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin'.
Guess Who's Back? is the debut official mixtape by American rapper 50 Cent, released May 21, 2002 on independent label Full Clip Records in the United States. It is his first official release after his 2000 effort Power of the Dollar went unreleased due to Columbia Records' discovery of a May 2000 shooting where 50 Cent was struck by nine bullets, and was subsequently dropped from the label as a result. The mixtape features production by Trackmasters, DJ Clark Kent, Father Shaheed, Sha Money XL, Red Spyda, and Terence Dudley. Guess Who's Back? received generally positive reviews from music critics and peaked at number 28 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart.
Get Rich or Die Tryin': Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture is the soundtrack to the 2005 film of the same name, released on November 8, 2005, on Interscope Records and 50 Cent's G-Unit Records. It features artists on the G-Unit label such as 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, Tony Yayo, Olivia, and Mobb Deep. The album sold 320,000 copies in the first week, debuting behind country singer Kenny Chesney's The Road and the Radio. In December 2005, the RIAA certified the album Platinum. To date, the album has sold over three million copies worldwide.
