50 Cent so perfectly fits the popular public perception of gangsta rap, he
almost sounds fictional. After his young single mother was murdered when he was
12, he effectively grew up on the streets, getting arrested for drug dealing
and, in 2000, he was famously shot nine times. Salvation came through his gift
for rapping. Calling himself 50 Cent after a Brooklyn street character, he took
inspiration from Jam Master Ray of Run DMC, who became his mentor and he made
his first recording guesting on an album by Onyx. He subsequently teamed up with
top producers Trackmasters, earning ...