Episode #117 | 2.14.23
50 Cent: Crack, Police Raids, Motorcycle Chases, and a Nine-Bullet Wake-up Call
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In this episode
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson was dealing crack by the age of 10, born into the height of the epidemic in Queens. He faced possession charges while still in high school, made a career as a dealer after, got stung and raided by cops, but always had his mind on the mission: to get rich, or die trying. And when he found out he was going to be a father, the idea of getting rich through music rather than drugs suddenly made a whole lot of sense. But it would still take a horrifying nine-bullet wake-up call to finally push him to the peak achievement he was capable of: making great music.
Sources
From Pieces to Weight: Once Upon a Time in Southside Queens, by 50 Cent
Supreme Team (Showtime)
Ghetto Qu’ran: South Jamaica Through The Life Of 50 Cent (Asian American Writers' Workshop)
What was the connection between Mike Tyson and the person who allegedly shot 50 Cent nine times? (Sportskeeda)
US investigators uncovered plot to kill rapper 50 Cent (The Guardian)
Disgraceland is a podcast about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very badly. It melds music history, true crime and transgressive fiction. Disgraceland is not journalism. Disgraceland is entertainment. Entertainment inspired by true events. However, certain scenes, characters and names are sometimes fictionalized for dramatic purposes.
Credits
Hosted and written by Jake Brennan.
Copy editing by James Sullivan.
Additional writing by Taylor Bettinson.
This episode was mixed by Matt Beaudoin.
Score by Jake Brennan.
Mixed and Engineered by Sean Cahalin.
Additional music and score elements by Ryan Spraker.
Additional music services by Bryce Kanzer.
Ad music composed by the late, great Ian Kennedy.
Disgraceland theme song, "Crenshaw Space Boogie" written and produced by Jake Brennan. Performed by Jake Brennan, Bryce Kanzer, Jay Cannava and Evan Kenney. Mixed and engineered by Adam Taylor.
*illustrations by Avi Spivak @avispivak