Who

The thuggish and apparently bulletproof rapper 50 Cent became famous with his sextuple platinum album Get Rich or Die Tryin'. He's also an actor, flavored water purveyor, and, as of 2007, an esteemed publishing executive.

Backstory

Curtis Jackson's mother was just 15 when she gave birth to him; eight years later, he became an orphan when she was murdered in the family apartment in Jamaica, Queens. Curtis (or "Fitty" as he'd later become known) moved in with his grandparents and competed as an amateur boxer in the 1980s, before turning to the well-worn rapper career path of crack dealing at age 12. Arrested on gun and weapons charges, he managed to avoid prison time by attending a seven-month boot camp for juveniles. But the incident turned him straight (sort of), and after befriending Run-DMC's Jam Master Jay and having a son named Marquise, he focused on a music career.

50 was signed to Columbia Records in 1999, and his first album Power of a Dollar (and the single "How to Rob") made him a star, even though the record was never officially released because Columbia dropped him after he was shot in 2000. Power became a massive success on the bootleg circuit, though, and with skittish label execs uneasy about with the idea of signing him to another deal, 50 released a mixtape on his own called Guess Who's Back? The album attracted the attention of Eminem and Dr. Dre, who signed him to a $1 million contract in 2002; they also helped him produce his official debut album, 2003's Get Rich or Die Tryin' (which was later made into a 2005 film of the same name), and set him up with an imprint, G-Unit Records, which is now home to longtime collaborators Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo. Fitty's most recent album, Curtis, was released on September 11, 2007.

Of note

Fitty's always had money on his mind and he's never been shy about taking a quick buck. There's his G-Unit line of clothing, which he launched in partnership with Marc Ecko in July 2003; he later signed a deal with Reebok for a line of G-Unit sneakers. He's been the main character in a video game, released a bunch of ringtones, and started a production company called G-Unit Films. And then there's his famous Formula 50, the grape-flavored water launched in conjunction with J. Darius Bikoff's VitaminWater; 10 million bottles were sold in the first six months. What's next? 50 has said he plans to release his own line of condoms with a portion of the profits going to an AIDS charity. (No word on whether they, too, will be grape-flavored.) More recently, the exceedingly literary 50 landed his very own imprint with Simon & Schuster, G-Unit Books, which has released such titles as the Ski Mask Way, which is not, in case you're wondering, a guidebook to Aspen.

Keeping score

Mr. Jackson earned $33 million in 2006, according to Forbes. In 2007, he netted $100 million on the sale of VitaminWater alone.

Drama

Nothing boosts street cred like a good gunshot wound and 50's got more than a few to show off to young, impressionable kids. In 2000, he was shot nine times at close range with a 9mm handgun outside his grandmother's home in Queens. Hit in the arm, hip, chest, both legs, and face, he miraculously didn't sustain too much long-term damage—he lost a tooth—although the same can't be said for the unfortunate thug who tried to take him out: He ended up dead three weeks later. Rumor has it that 50's shooting was orchestrated by notorious Queens drug lord Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, who was retaliating to the rapper's 2000 song "Ghetto Koran," which referenced McGriff's less-than-legal business dealings. More recently he made the tabloids after the New Jersey home that his ex-girlfriend lived in burned to the ground. She later accused him of having a hand in starting the fire.

Grudge

Since the man who (allegedly) ordered a hit on Fitty, McGriff, was tight with the Murder Inc. crew headed up by Irv Gotti and his brother, Chris Gotti, Fitty's ire has long extended to the Gottis as well as to Ja Rule, who's on Gotti's label. (The two also have a beef that dates back to 1999 when a friend of 50's stole some of Ja's jewelry.) But 50's had other enemies over the years. In 2005 he faced off against The Game, who was accused of disloyalty and booted from G-Unit Records. Tension came to a head when a member of The Game's entourage was shot in a confrontation with 50's people outside Hot97's studio. The Game then attempted a boycott campaign against 50 he dubbed "G-UNot."

Personal

50 shares custody of son Marquise with ex-girlfriend Shaniqua Tompkins. (How's this for cute: 50 and Marquise have a set of matching bulletproof vests.) Recently, Tompkins has taken him to court—with Raoul Felder by her side, of course—to demand a raise in the $25,000 a month child support he now pays her. Famous for his womanizing tendencies—he's been linked with Joy Bryant (who played his girlfriend in the film version of Get Rich or Die Tryin') and Vivica J. Fox—50 now claims he's ready to settle down.

Habitat

Fitty purchased the former home of boxing champ Mike Tyson for $4.1 million in September 2003. (In a strange coincidence, the man who once tried to kill 50 was a former friend and onetime roommate of Tyson's.) The 52-room, Farmington, Conn. mansion has 18 bedrooms, 25 full bathrooms, five Jacuzzis, an elevator and a movie theater.

Toys

50 rolls in an armored SUV that's reinforced with steel and Kevlar. It's bulletproof and reportedly bombproof, too. Inside you'll find a satellite TV, Playstation and all the other amenities that are de rigueur for a rapper with a big ego. (If history is any guide, you may very well find loaded weapons under the front seat, too.) Naturally, you'll never find 50 sitting alone inside the vehicle. As he made quite clear in his song "In Da Club," he rolls 20 deep, yo.