AccuRadio Song Of The Day-50 Cent

Artist:50 Cent f/Olivia

Song:Candy Shop

Album:Best of 50 Cent

Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson was a very successful rapper 20 years ago . The 2005 single Candy Shop was one of his three #1 hits. Like many rappers, his career stalled. His most recent album was released in 2014. He's been concentrating on film and TV production. The STARZ TV series Power has been very successful. Jackson was born July 6, 1975 in Queens, NY. His mother died when he was eight years old. So he was raised by his grandparents. Jackson started boxing as a teen. And he also sold drugs. He was arrested in 1994 for selling cocaine to an undercover police officer and went to prison where he earned his GED. Jackson did not use cocaine. Selling it was easy money unless he got caught. He claims that the name 50 Cent is a metaphor for change. It's the name given to an 80s Brooklyn robber. In 1996, he started rapping in a friend's basement. He was introduced to Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC who was starting his own label. Jay taught him how to make records but Irv Gotti of DefJam thought he sounded too much like Jay-Z. The production group Trackmasters signed Jackson to Columbia. His debut single How to Rob appeared on the soundtrack of the 1999 film In Too Deep. Nas asked him to appear on his tour. Just as he was starting to get somewhere, he was shot several times outside his grandmother's house. Jackson recovered but the alleged attacker was killed three weeks later. Columbia dropped Jackson but signed him to a publishing deal. He became popular on the mixtape circuit. That led him to Eminem and Dr. Dre and a record deal with Interscope. The 2003 album Get Rich or Die Tryin' was certified 9XPlatinum and the 2003 single 21 Questions topped the charts. This was followed by the 2005 album The Massacre. That was certified 6XPlatinum and the single Candy Shop topped the charts. Scott Storch of The Roots was the main producer. He produced several songs including Candy Shop. Eminem and Dr. Dre also produced a couple of tracks each. The singer is Olivia Longott who was a member of the rap supergroup G-Unit led by Jackson. Her own career went nowhere. The song is influenced by Middle Eastern music and samples The Salsoul Orchestra's Love Break. Those two albums were Jackson's peak. Sales decreased and Jackson last released an album in 2014. He still releases singles. But he hasn't charted since 2012. You can get all his hits on this budget comp. My problem with 50 Cent is the same problem I have with other rappers. All his music sounds the same. Listeners get tired of it. Jackson wisely got into other ventures. The most notable of these is G-Unit Film & Television. The STARZ series Power and the various spinoffs have been successful. And his new series BMF has also been successful. He also produces films. I suppose he can still make records but he doesn't need to. Here's the video for Candy Shop by 50 Cent featuring Olivia.