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Born Curtis James Jackson III, he later adopted the stage name 50 Cent after entering the hip-hop world. Raised by his grandmother, 50 Cent had a rough life growing up and began rapping in the underground scene and gained popularity. In 2002, Eminem discovered him and helped him sign a deal with Dr. Dre’s Death Row Records. His career skyrocketed to new heights, and Jackson became one of the best-selling rappers of the 2010s. Along with his music career, 50 Cent began his record label under Interscope and ventured into buying lucrative businesses and producing television shows. At his career’s peak, he had a $125 million net worth which has now become $40 million.
50 Cent is known for his lavish lifestyle and for spending his fortune on making extravagant expenses that money can buy. From owning a million-dollar watch collection and jewelry to purchasing real estate, let’s look at how 50 Cent earns and spends his millions.
Earns: Music Career
50 Cent lived in Manhattan, New York, when Eminem called him to Los Angeles to broker a deal with Dr. Dre. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he was paid $1 million for a record deal and released his debut album in 2003, Get Rich Or Die Trying, which topped the Billboard 200 chart. Under Interscope, he released his second album, The Massacre, which spent six weeks on the Billboard No.1 spot. His follow-up albums were Curtis, Before I Self Destruct, and Street King Immortal. To date, his albums have collectively sold 21 million units.
Spends: Real Estate
Curtis Jackson invested in multiple real estate properties over the years, and his priciest purchase was a Connecticut mansion he purchased in 2003 for $4.1 million from Mike Tyson. The property was located in Farmington and spanned 50,000 square feet of living space. The epitome of luxury, the home had 19 bedrooms with 25 bathrooms and a sprawling backyard. With 17.7 acres of land at disposal, the mansion came with a pool, pond, guesthouses, gardens, a basketball court, and a grotto.
Earns: Equity Stake In Lucrative Businesses
A rapper turned entrepreneur, 50 Cent has made intelligent investments that have given him hefty returns. He teamed up with Glacéau in the 2000s to create the flavored water brand VitaminWater. Coca-Cola purchased Glacéau in 2007 at the valuation of $4.1 billion, earning him $100 million, as noted by Cheat Sheet. In 2017, he received a giant payout when he sold his minority stake in EFFEN Vodka for $60 million.
Spends: Jewelry
Being a renowned rapper, 50 Cent has built a successful name for himself and deserves to spoil himself with a little bling. His go-to jewelry includes a diamond ‘50’ pendant worth $50,000 and a $750,000 Green Light Gang chunky diamond necklace. In 2019, he spent another $50,000 on a custom diamond necklace that spells out Sire, his son’s name. Additionally, the rapper is also a fan of Cartier and owns its watches and a $178,000 Panthère de Cartier ring in 18-carat white gold.
Earns: Television Drama Series
50 Cent entered the world of television by co-creating and producing a drama series, Power, on the network Starz in 2014. After four years of work, the cable network and Jackson signed a four-year deal in 2018 to produce various projects for their platform. The deal was worth $125 million and gave him access to all Starz and Lionsgate platforms. He has also been the executive producer for the reality show Dream School.
Spends: Hundreds Of Concert Tickets
Rappers 50 Cent and Ja Rule have a feud that dates back to the 1990s, and the duo still hold a bitter grudge against each other. In 2018, 50 Cent purchased 200 front-row tickets of Ja Rule’s concert in Arlington, Texas, just to keep them empty, as stated by CBS News. He shared the news on Instagram, adding that it only cost him $15 a ticket and around $3,000 via Groupon, a discount site.
Earns: Author
The success story of 50 Cent hasn’t been easy, and the rapper has never hesitated to share his stories with the world. Along with detailing his journey through music, he is also a published author of multiple New York Times bestselling books. His first book was released in 2006 and called From Pieces to Weight: Once upon a Time in Southside Queens. His additional bestsellers include The Diamond District (2008), The 50th Law (2009), and Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter (2020).
Spends: Watch Collection
Along with his jewelry, even the watches in Jackson’s collection are encrusted with jewels and studs. A fan of the best, he is often spotted wearing the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chandelier worth $236,000 and the $200,000 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Rose Gold during his appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show. The most expensive watch in his collection is the RM 57-01 Tourbillon Jackie Chan costing $1.2 million. As mentioned by Richard Mille, the timepiece was designed by Jackie Chan, and only 15 pieces were produced.
50 Cent has also earned lucrative earnings from his spirits business and loves to spend his millions on adding supercars to his garage. While continuing his ventures and television shows, 50 Cent has also shifted his focus back to music. He stated that the next music project would be his last full-length album.
Sources: Celebrity Net Worth, Cheat Sheet, CBS News, Richard Mille