These days, 50 Cent might be more well known for his beef with other celebrities and his Power series. But 50’s longtime fans know him for his iconic hits in the early 2000s. 50 started his career with his mixtape Guess Who’s Back? in 2002 after his Power of the Dollar was never released (due to the rapper getting shot). He addressed the shooting on “F— You,” which is on Guess Who’s Back?.
“I’m havin’ flashbacks, I can feel the shells burnin’/Comin’ up, I was taught never back down/That’s why I act the way I act now, hold the Mac down/32 shots, squeeze til there ain’t a shell left,” he raps on the track. That mixtape helped 50 get his record deal with Eminem’s Shady Records. Shady Records is an imprint of Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records.
50’s debut album released in 2003, Get Rich or Die Tryin’ was a huge commercial success. It spawned singles such as “In da Club,” and “21 Questions” featuring Nate Dogg which both topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart shortly after their release. In 2003, 50 also founded G-Unit Records and the rap group G-Unit which consisted of himself, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo. Throughout the years, The Game, and Kid Kidd were also were short-lived members of the group. Young Buck replaced Yayo after the latter’s 2003 imprisonment but also later left the group before it officially disbanded in 2022, according to 50. As a group, they produced two studio albums, Beg for Mercy, and T·O·S (Terminate on Sight), as well as an EP titled The Beauty of Independence.
Besides his musical success, 50 has taken his talent on and off the screen. His Power series has been a mainstay in the culture that has created several spin-offs such as Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan and Power Book IV: Force. These productions are under his G-Unit Films and Television company.
Whether you know 50 for his beef, television series or music, take a look at five essential songs from 50’s discography:
