NEW YORK – Rap icon 50 Cent has revisited the 2000 shooting that nearly ended his life, describing how the near-fatal ambush reshaped his outlook and pushed him to create one of hip-hop’s most celebrated albums, Get Rich or Die Tryin’.
Speaking in a recent interview on Fox & Friends, the Queens-born star reflected on being just 25 years old when he was shot nine times outside his grandmother’s home in South Jamaica. The attack left him with wounds to his legs, hands, and face, and forced him into months of recovery—costing him his first record deal in the process.
“It shifted my concept,” he explained. “My first album concept was Power of a Dollar, and then I went to Get Rich or Die Tryin’. The stakes just got higher.”
Abandoned by the industry, 50 Cent rebuilt from scratch, turning his hardship into fuel for his 2003 debut, which went on to sell millions worldwide. The track Many Men (Wish Death on Me) directly referenced the shooting, becoming an anthem of survival and defiance.
The rapper’s resilience has deep roots. Having lost his mother in a fire at the age of eight, he grew up navigating poverty, violence, and street life before pivoting to music. That journey has since taken him far beyond rap: he now hosts 50 Ways to Catch a Killer with 50 Cent, a true-crime series streaming on Fox Nation.
“I had a team of people help me curate it, and what I do is try to solve things before they solve it on television,” he said.
50 Cent also offered words of motivation to fans facing setbacks: “There are no excuses. There’s no situation that they can’t go through and still be successful.”
Looking ahead, the rapper-turned-mogul hinted at new projects, including a possible second season of his crime show and a role in an upcoming Street Fighter film. Yet, he insists he is not seeking reinvention: “I don’t want to be someone new. I just want to be a better version of who I am.”
The shooting—believed to have been linked to his past street dealings—remains the defining moment of 50 Cent’s transformation from hustler to global star. The final two episodes of his true-crime series are now streaming on Fox Nation.
Source: AllHipHop
