50 Cent fans gobsmacked after learning the true meaning behind his name

50 Cent began his music career nearly three decades ago - but many fans are only now discovering the true meaning behind his stage name. The rapper, who hails from Queens, New York, faced more adversity in his childhood than most.

At the tender age of eight, 50 Cent, real name Curtis James Jackson III, lost his mother, Sabrina, a drug dealer, in a tragic fire. This left him to be brought up by his grandparents following his father's departure. Balancing school with boxing at the local gym, the young boy found himself "selling crack on the strip" at just 11 years old.

He recalls bringing firearms and drug money to school, which eventually led to his arrest after being caught by metal detectors. In 1994, he was handed a prison sentence for drug-related offences. He served only six months in a boot camp, during which time he obtained his GED. Following this, he made a promise to turn his life around and adopted the moniker 50 Cent as a metaphor for change.

The name was inspired by Kelvin Martin, a notorious robber from Brooklyn in the 1980s, also known as 50 Cent. Discussing the nickname, he stated: "It says everything I want it to say. I'm the same kind of person 50 Cent was. I provide for myself by any means."

Two years after his sentencing, 50 Cent began rapping in a friend's basement. Between 1999 and 2000, he recorded his debut album Power of the Dollar for Columbia Records. However, its release was cancelled due to him being shot, leading to him being dropped by the label. In 2002, Eminem stumbled upon 50 Cent's mixtape Guess Who's Back?, and promptly signed him to his label, Shady Records.

This marked the beginning of a meteoric rise in popularity for 50 Cent, who went on to release hits such as In da Club, Just A Lil Bit, Many Men, 21 Questions, Intro, p.i.m.p, and Candy Shop, among others.

A statement on Hip Hop Gods reveals: "So far, 50 Cent has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and won several prestigious awards, including a Grammy Award and three American Music Awards. Billboard ranked him as the third-best rapper of the 00s, and the sixth-best overall artist of the same decade. His single In da Club was included at spot #13 on Rolling Stones magazine's list of the 100 Best Songs of the 2000s!"

Regarding the origin of his stage name, a Quora user explained: "The name was inspired by Kelvin Martin, a 1980s Brooklyn robber known as 50 Cent; Jackson chose it 'because it says everything I want it to say'." Another user chimed in: "50 Cent's real name is Curtis James Jackson III. His stage name 50 Cent was chosen because it's a metaphor for change."