Curtis Jackson: THE AMERICAN DREAM

Life is a series of events that travel in the form of time, space and energy. Each existence can be viewed as a book that gradually tell our story until the final chapter. The fortunate individuals live out a novel while others are forced to share cliff notes until they expire. One can only pray for extended blessings. As an African American youth growing up around poverty, violence and drugs , Curtis Jackson was the poster child for a life of crime or a short life in general. A grim reality is many of our kids are very intelligent but circumstances elevate the chances of them not reaching their full potential. To say many obstacles stand in their way is an understatement. By the time Curtis Jackson was 12 years old he was selling drugs in South Side Jamaica Queens (NYC). Twelve years later he would be in the hospital fighting for his life after a hit was put on him. As I stated in the opening sentence, “energy” is one of life’s necessary nutrients and bad energy can destroy you.

During 50 Cents early days as an aspiring rapper he was still living in the same community where he had broken the law on numerous occasions. The mug shots are available in what I call "The Age Of Information" with a few clicks on your keyboard. One thing about 50 Cent, he was known to be a very ambitious person so after he recovered from his near death experience, he was even more persistent writing songs. Record Labels were afraid to touch 50 Cent because of his reputation and the type of affiliations he maintained. Without being discouraged, 50 Cent released a series of mixtapes, freestyles and played his music for anybody who would listen. In 1999 the song “How To Rob” was released and it took off. The reason why it took off was the fact that he talked about robbing some of the most popular celebrities in the industry. As a Hip Hop Head, I knew who 50 Cent was before his major record deal with Eminem and Dr. Dre. 50 Cent use to spend time around NAS and Cormega. His first tour was with Nas on the Nastradamus Tour. 50 Cent had an album called Power of The Dollar that was shelved by Columbia Records after he was shot. There are plenty of rap fans who have yet to hear this body of work. 50 Cent has a song on this album called “The Good Die Young” and this became my favorite track of his at the time. During the Power Of The Dollar Days, the song “Ghetto Quran” hit the streets. This is the song that allegedly got him shot. To say 50 Cent is a complex individual is like saying Magic Johnson could pass a basketball.

We all know in 2003 50 Cent released “Get Rich Or Die Tryin” which pushed him to become the biggest rapper in the industry. During this time 50 Cent created G-Unit Records, G-Unit Clothing Line, a shoe deal with Reebok, and various investments that would prove beneficial years later. This is what impressed me about the rise of Curtis Jackson aka 50 Cent. His focus, drive, determination has made him a household name for generations to come. Many “Rap Stars” get famous and can’t sustain due to irresponsible lifestyles. 50 Cent is the exact opposite. 50 Cent released 5 albums, numerous mixtapes but then moved into acting, producing movies and television shows. In 2017, 50 Cent has a show called POWER that is one of the most popular series on TV. This accomplishment comes 17 years after he was shot 9 times, dropped from a record deal and pretty much left to drown in his own sorrow. In life, you have to overcome inevitable series of events and if you are lucky enough to survive a few rocky chapters, the sky can be the limit. 50 Cent has accumulated over 200 million dollars from business ventures and consistently finds himself on FORBES list. This is actually an amazing story of a man who has been in life or death situations that some rappers only rap about. 50 Cent is also an author as well and a very intelligent individual. I remember seeing him on a panel years ago on MSNBC talking about investments. I mean, this is the same dude who was in rap beef with Ja Rule, The LOX, Camron, Fat Joe, Jay-Z and Wu Tang Clan Members at one point. Whether you like 50 cent or not, he is one of the most interesting personalities ever in the World of Hip Hop.

Any wealthy person will tell you that maintaining your wealth is a job within itself. The fact that 50 Cent started rapping in 1999 and is still on our TV Screens every week in 2017 is an awesome accomplishment. Curtis Jackson is the American Dream. He used music to open various doors that lead to financial prosperity. Curtis Jackson is the American Dream. He put himself in a position to feed a lot of people he cares about. These same individuals have spoken out on many occasions about his generosity. Curtis Jackson is the American Dream. He is living proof that if you get a “Second Chance” in life, you should swing for the fences. Curtis Jackson is the American Dream. He is an African American who comes off as a “Proud Black Man” and I respect this type of attitude. Curtis Jackson is not without his faults. He is human. I merely want to celebrate a person in our Hip Hop Community who should be an inspiration to a lot of young artists. Younger artist who are making a lot of money can look at his various moves to learn how to maintain, sustain and develop generational wealth. It's easy to live for the moment in the entertainment industry but Curtis Jackson is an example of progression. I look forward to seeing what Curtis Jackson has in store for us in the future. I mean, Curtis Jackson is the “American Dream.”

Peace

50 Cent - The Good Die Young