50 cent real name is Curtis Jackson. He named himself after a Brooklyn thug named Kelvin Martin. He had a tough childhood. His mother was a drug dealer and she was killed when Jackson was 13. Jackson then also became a drug dealer selling mostly cocaine.
He had other interests though.
He was an accomplished amateur boxer. In his mind, boxing was a lot like rapping because it was very competitive. As a matter of fact, 50 cent has dissed a lot of rappers in recent years.
As a teenager, he began to rap in his neighbourhood basement. He was lucky enough to have a friend who knew a member of Run DMC, Jam Master Jay. He learned a lot in contact of this famous rap star.
50 cent's first released song was "How to rob". On this track he explained how he would rob famous rap stars. When you think about his boxing background, that's no surprise that he tried to challenged established artists.
What is interesting in his story is that he knew how to catch the attention of the rap world. On every of his albums, there is a controversial track. It's a real smart marketing technique. Also think about Eminem. His first hit "My name is" was very funny with a very entertaining video clip. His first album also featured controversial songs like "Guilty conscience". It's pretty clear that both of this artists have a real marketing strategy. I think every emerging artist should have one. It can be internet presence or competing in local talent shows
I don't say you should released a controversial song or insult every famous artist on the planet but you should think of a good marketing plan. You can think of your careeer like a business. Every successful business has some kind of business plan.
50 cent also had the chance to be signed by one of the hottest label in the industry namely Interscope Records. Dr Dre produced for him the beat of "In da Club" and the rest is history.
So you know how 50 cent made it. I think it's very important to remember that immensely successful artist like 50 cent or Eminem both really know how to catch people attention. If you want to become famous you really want to learn from those two guys.